Since first reading in a British newspaper about a company from the United Arab Emirates taking over operations at six U.S. ports, CNN anchor Lou Dobbs has been on the story relentlessly — and making no secret how he feels
about it. "I see it, frankly, as an outrage against the national interest of the United States and I won't sugarcoat that at all," Dobbs said on his Tuesday newscast.
No one expected him to. One of television's best-known business journalists and the last CNN anchor who dates back to the network's formation in 1980, Dobbs has become a crusader on issues like free trade, immigration, national security and corporate greed. Critics contend he ignores any kind of dividing line between news and opinion; Dobbs says he's doing what his audience demands. Two-thirds of his show last Wednesday, for example, concerned the port security issue. It featured reports on the political fallout from CNN correspondents Dana Bash and Ed Henry, a live interview with New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, a story on Bush administration business contacts with the UAE and a backgrounder on foreign ownership of U.S. port interests.
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"I believe the issues are too important to feign any kind of neutrality, or pretend to some objectivity that simply doesn't exist," he said. "I'm not one of those journalists who's interested in doing he said-she said journalism. You know as a journalist, the truth is not about fair and balanced." He said his opinions are based not on ideology, but an intense study of the issues. "There's a nonpartisan reality and I see it as my job to report that, and my audience expects me to," he said. More people in television news should do it his way, he said. "I believe that the issues are too important to do business in a pre-Sept. 11 manner," he said. "This is a nation under threat — economically, geopolitically and ideologically."
Dan Gainor, a former managing editor of Congressional Quarterlywho now monitors coverage of economic issues for the conservative watchdog Media Research Center, said he's surprised that CNN allows Dobbs to inject his opinions into the news reports. Not only does Dobbs make clear where he stands, Gainor said his researchers have documented how the newscast gives short shrift to contradictory views. "He and I have different views about what journalists are supposed to do," he said. "To me, you're either an advocate or a journalist. You shouldn't pretend to be both."
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