Graduate Student - Vera Zaragovia's Report

By Veronica Zaragovia M.S. ’08 (New Media)

Lou Dobbs’s criticism of the American media and his stance on illegal immigration triggered a heated response from the crowd of media professionals, lawyers, and students at the Columbia Club recently when the host and managing editor of CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight” spoke during a luncheon sponsored by the journalism school’s First Amendment lecture series. The annual lecture series is supported with donations from corporate, legal and private sources..

Floyd Abrams, the specialist in First Amendment law and the William J. Brennan Jr. Professor at the journalism school moderated the luncheon and Q&A session held at the mid-town club for almost two hours.

The CNN anchorman sharply criticized the media for being “elitist,” and for caring more about finances than about reporting on the “absolute truths” of free trade and public education. He raised other contentious issues before the crowd of 110 engaged listeners including chiding news reporters for their misunderstanding of the facts, and poor coverage of the Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses. Many of Dobbs’s comments were met with raised eyebrows, murmurs, and even chuckles.

But his comments on undocumented immigrants enervated the crowd to speak out forcefully. Dobbs repeated his belief that undocumented immigrants cost the country billions of dollars each year in depressed wages and take job opportunities from America’s working class. The broadcast journalist implored the Bush administration to allocate more funding to law enforcement agencies responsible for patrolling the border in order to keep additional immigrants from coming to this country.

A heated exchange took place between Dobbs and Bryan Lonegan, professor of immigration and human rights at Seton Hall Law School in New Jersey. Nina Bernstein, a reporter for The New York Times who covers issues related to immigration, sided with Lonegan and accused Dobbs of “turning tables” instead of answering questions. Michael Meyers, executive director of the New York Civil Rights Coalition, expressed his frustration over Dobbs’s refusal to answer his question of what should be done with the undocumented immigrants living in the United States already.

The freedom of the press topic elicited some of the few positive remarks Dobbs made. He reminded the audience about the importance of freedom of expression and of the press, adding that a “[media] company should bankrupt itself before allowing interference with its journalists.”

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