Kurtz asks if Dobbs is "raising questions about" himself since there's "no factual dispute" about Obama's citizenship 

Is Michelle Martin serious? Nobody is suggesting that Lou Dobbs should be thrown off the air for "covering a story". People are suggesting that Lou Dobbs should be fired because he's making claims that simply aren't true. He's reporting that factual questions remain about the fact of Obama's natural born citizenship when none do.

"Questions remain" about whether the Earth orbits the sun. "Questions remain" about whether the Holocaust actually happened. "Questions remain" about everything. But the answers to those questions are known and have been exhaustively researched and answered. Dobbs is right that questions certainly do remain about Obama's presidential legitimacy, but these questions have no journalistic merit, and CNN has every right to say definitively that it holds its hosts to basic journalistic standards.

I'm really disappointed in Martin's contrived defense of Dobbs. If he had, as she claims, simply been "covering a story", then he would have reported that Obama demonstrably meets every constitutional criterion for service as President. No one has any problem with "covering a story" about the birthers. The objections are about a cable news host pretending that factual questions are unresolved on this matter. It's a discredit to NPR that Michelle Martin doesn't understand what's actually being discussed here.

"...that does make me uncomfortable, the idea that somebody should be kicked off the air for covering a particular story..."

It's not a story. It's a falsehood that he's helping to maintain as relevant.

"...I think they're of particular interest to my audience..."

This needs better explanation. When Martin defends Dobbs for "covering" this story, she risks giving cover to a faux-journalist who's whoring himself to a fringe movement for ratings.

Someone showed Lou Dobs a gold nugget,told him they knew where the mother load was.Dobbs bought in the bigboy mining and digging equipment.All he found was fool's gold.Now he thinks he should not have to pay the bill for mobilizing the equipment

What in the World is Michelle Martin talking about? A story? Does she cover non-facts-based stories at NPR. I am about to cry. NPR covers fictional stories for ratings too? I am baffled and saddened. We are lost as a nation when reporters can ignore the facts. Is News sensation or factual info? I am starting to take all MSM News with a grain of salt because I notice that Most News equal 0.5-1% of truth,15% of opinion and 84% of pure speculation.