• NCLR is referred to as "The Race."  Of course, we would expect nothing less from the folks who thoroughly enjoy misinterpreting our name.  In case you are behind the times on this one, here's the real story:  The Truth about NCLR.  (Could it be that they copied us on the use of "truth" too?)
• The website refers to certain immigration organizations and labor unions that want a responsible comprehensive immigration reform bill as "the subversive La Raza Open Borders Network."  Oddly enough, they don't seem to grasp that our We Can Stop the Hate campaign is not about immigration reform; it's about taking the hate out of the debate, the hate that Tanton loves to propagate.  Maybe that's why they conveniently left out many of our campaign partners, such as the Center for American Progress, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and Media Matters for America.  Wonder why that is?
• The "What's New" section of the site is blank.  Surprise!  Perhaps that's because this is just a stale regurgitation of the old lies they just can't let die.

 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
Nov 12, 2009 Marie Watteau
(202) 785-1670

Washington, DC-"Lou Dobbs's resignation from CNN yesterday is an important step forward in restoring greater fairness, accuracy, and balance on CNN and cable news," stated Janet Murguía, President and CEO of NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. Through its Wave of Hope campaign, and more recently as a founding member of the Drop Dobbs coalition, NCLR has long raised concerns about the gross distortions, misrepresentations, and falsehoods that Dobbs's program has perpetuated, including by presenting extremist voices as "immigration experts."

"We hope this resignation begins to undo the climate of intolerance fostered against the Latino community, restore journalistic integrity to the CNN brand, and bring civility and truth back to the immigration debate," Murguía added.

• FAIR was founded by John Tanton, who also operates a racist publishing company and has compared immigrants to "bacteria."
• FAIR has employed members of white supremacist groups in key positions.
• FAIR has promoted racist conspiracy theories.
• FAIR has accepted more than $1 million from the Pioneer Fund, a foundation devoted to eugenics and to proving a connection between race and IQ.
• FAIR president Dan Stein once suggested that Asians and Hispanics were engaged in "competitive breeding."

For two years, I have tried working behind the scenes with CNN to bring some fairness to the relentless bias of CNN programming due to Dobbs' show.  I have documented a litany of issues involving Lou Dobbs, including:

• His regular use of guests representing hate groups, vigilantes, and nativists as experts on immigration
• His relentless repetition of stories on immigrants and crime that project an impression far from reality
• His association of immigrants as carriers of disease that has been both inaccurate and pejorative

I have appeared on the Lou Dobbs show to ask him to curtail his bias and distance himself from the vigilantes and nativists who have appeared on his show.  I have also partnered with CNN to address the levels of diversity before and behind the camera in hopes that this would help.  CNN's disregard for Dobbs' alarming appearance at the hate group's rally this week has forced us to reconsider our behind-the-scenes approach. 

Words have consequences.  The Latino community knows all too well the effect that extreme and polarizing rhetoric can have.  Over the past five years, the often vitriolic debate surrounding immigration has created a toxic climate for our communities.  During that time, we have seen a double digit increase in the number of hate crimes against Latinos and substantial growth in the number of hate groups targeting Latinos.  As was illustrated less than one year ago by the murders of Marcelo Lucero and Jose Sucuzhanay, lives are literally at stake.

Lou Dobbs, as a private citizen, has every right to speak at whatever event he pleases.  As a representative of CNN's "best political news team in America," however, Dobbs' appearance at this rally provides FAIR the legitimacy of the CNN brand and signals an intensification of the lopsided coverage Dobbs has provided during the debate over immigration reform. 

This should be of deep concern to CNN and every one of its advertisers.  The credibility of all of their brands is at stake.  The Drop Dobbs coalition is compiling a list of those advertisers supporting the Lou Dobbs show and will be reaching out to educate them about this issue.  We recognize that many advertisers may be unaware that FAIR has been designated as a hate group, so we are contacting those companies before publicly releasing the list.  However, unless and until Dobbs and CNN disassociate themselves from this hate group, we will be asking advertisers to withhold their support.

Join us online at the Drop Dobbs campaign and ask U.S. corporations to drop their advertising from the Lou Dobbs Tonight show.  Together we can make a difference and bring accountability back to CNN.  

NCLR JOINS CAMPAIGN AIMED AT CNN'S LOU DOBBS TONIGHT ADVERTISERS

Visit www.DropDobbs.com

Washington, DC-In the wake of a scheduled appearance by CNN personality Lou Dobbs at a rally hosted by an anti-immigrant hate group, NCLR (National Council of La Raza), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, today joined a coalition http://www.dropdobbs.com/ of organizations including Media Matters for America, Center for Community Change, Center for New Community, Dolores Huerta Foundation, The Hispanic Institute, League of United Latin American Citizens, National Hispanic Media Coalition, National Puerto Rican Coalition, NDN, Southern Poverty Law Center and America's Voice in calling on U.S. corporations to drop their advertising from his show until he and CNN disassociates themselves from the group.

Dobbs will lead a group of broadcasters at a rally in Washington targeting Congress called "Hold Their Feet to the Fire," hosted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), a group that has been designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a hate group. As extensively documented in recent years, the Southern Poverty Law Center states that:

• FAIR was founded by John Tanton, who also operates a racist publishing company and has compared immigrants to "bacteria."
• FAIR has employed members of white supremacist groups in key positions.
• FAIR has promoted racist conspiracy theories.
• FAIR has accepted more than $1 million from the Pioneer Fund, a racist foundation devoted to eugenics and to proving a connection between race and IQ.
• FAIR president Dan Stein once suggested that Asians and Hispanics were engaged in "competitive breeding."

"While Lou Dobbs, as a private citizen, has every right to speak at whatever event he pleases," said NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía in a letter to CNN CEO Jim Walton, "as a representative of CNN's ‘best political news team in America,' his appearance provides FAIR with the legitimacy of the CNN brand and signals an intensification of the lopsided coverage Dobbs' show has provided during the debate over immigration reform."

Murguía said that CNN's brand would be tainted until they disassociate from the hate group and cautioned advertisers that their brands would be tarnished as well. "We know that advertisers may be unaware that FAIR has been designated as a hate group," said Murguía. "We look at this as a teachable moment." Murguía said that the coalition is compiling lists of advertisers and is currently reaching out to those companies in advance of going public with their names.

"Words have consequences and lives are at stake," said Murguía. "The Latino community knows all too well the effect extreme and polarizing rhetoric can have. Over the past five years we have expressed concern over the vitriolic rhetoric that surrounds the immigration debate. During that time, we have seen a double digit increase in the number of hate crimes against Latinos and substantial growth in the number of hate groups targeting Latinos.

Murguía indicated that she and CNN have tried to work behind the scenes to bring balance to CNN coverage on a number of levels, including diversity before and behind the camera and parity in what she called "the relentless bias" of CNN programming on immigration due to Dobbs' show.

Murguía said that she has documented for CNN a litany of issues over the past two years, including Dobbs' regular retinue of guests representing hate groups, vigilantes, and nativists touted as "immigration experts"; his relentless repetition of stories on immigrants and crime that project an impression far from reality; and his association of immigrants as carriers of disease that has been both inaccurate and pejorative.

Murguía said she had hoped that by working with CNN directly, the news organization's approach could come into balance. "The appearance by Dobbs at a hate group rally is the last straw," she said. "It should be of deep concern to CNN and every one of its advertisers. The credibility of their brands is at stake."

For more information, visit http://www.wecanstopthehate.org/

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• In 2001, "Mr. D'Andre said that if his town were ‘attacked' by an influx of Hispanic day laborers, ‘we'll be up in arms, we'll be out with baseball bats.'"
• In 2007, Elie Mystal said "that if day laborers started gathering in his neighborhood, ‘I would load my gun and start shooting, period.'"

Both purportedly apologized after making those comments, but the damage had been done.  Today, many of this nation's Latino citizens and immigrants cannot imagine other than a world in which they are enveloped in fear.

Read the report.