Lou Dobbs, Leprosy, and Immigrants

In “Truth, Fiction and Lou Dobbs” by DAVID LEONHARDT writes about the latest controversy about Lou Dobb’s “reporting” on immigration that came to light on a “60 Minutes” segment profiling Dobbs a few weeks ago. According to Leonhardt,

a “60 Minutes” producer came across a 2005 news report from Mr. Dobbs’s CNN program on contagious diseases. In the report, one of Mr. Dobbs’s correspondents said there had been 7,000 cases of leprosy in this country over the previous three years, far more than in the past. When Lesley Stahl of “60 Minutes” sat down to interview Mr. Dobbs on camera, she mentioned the report and told him that there didn’t seem to be much evidence for it. “Well, I can tell you this,” he replied. “If we reported it, it’s a fact.”

The truth is that the evidence behind the statement is jist not there.  The Southern Poverty Law Center later took out advertisements in The New York Times and USA Today demanding that CNN run a correction.   

For more of the story, click here.  How can a reputable international media outlet like CNN put up with such shoddy reporting on one of the most pressing social issues of our generation?

KJ