Dobbs again falsely asserted he "set the record straight" on leprosy
SUMMARY: On Lou Dobbs Tonight, Lou Dobbs again tried to downplay his program's airing and affirming of a falsehood about the number of leprosy cases in the United States. Dobbs also claimed again that his airing of a May 16 report by CNN correspondent Bill Tucker "set the record straight" on the leprosy issue, but the report did not note the uncritical citation of the false statistic or Dobbs' repeated defense of it.
On the June 18 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, host and CBS Early Show contributor Lou Dobbs again tried to downplay his program's airing and affirming of a falsehood about the number of leprosy cases in the United States, saying the comment was "eight seconds long and, as I said, took place two and a half years ago." While the original citation of the false statistic -- "There have been 7,000 [leprosy cases] in the past three years" -- aired in 2005, Dobbs has defended it numerous times in the past several weeks. Further, Dobbs again claimed that his airing of a May 16 report by CNN correspondent Bill Tucker "set the record straight" on the leprosy issue. But as Media Matters for America noted, Tucker's report did not note the uncritical citation of the false statistic or Dobbs' repeated defense of it. Dobbs' June 18 comments came in response to a New York Times column by Times editorial board member Lawrence Downes that noted the false statistic.
On the April 14, 2005, edition of Lou Dobbs, CNN correspondent Christine Romans said that Madeleine Cosman, anti-immigration activist and founding director of the Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at the City College of New York, "told us that there were about 900 cases of leprosy for 40 years. There have been 7,000 in the past three years." However, as Media Matters noted, according to the National Hansen's Disease Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there were 398 cases of Hansen's disease, or leprosy, reported between 2002 and 2004 "the past three years" from Romans' initial report.
Dobbs defended the comment during an interview on the May 6 edition of CBS' 60 Minutes and on the May 7 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight. Dobbs told CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl: "If we reported it, it's a fact." The next day, Dobbs told Romans on Lou Dobbs: "I stand 100 percent behind what you said."
In a May 30 New York Times column, David Leonhardt wrote that Dobbs "admitted ... sort of" that Romans had cited inaccurate information. Leonhardt then wrote that Dobbs told him "that as far as he [Dobbs] was concerned, he [Dobbs] had corrected the mistake" on May 16, even though, Leonhardt added, "he [Dobbs] has never acknowledged on the air that his program presented false information twice." On the May 30 edition of Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dobbs again asserted that Tucker's report set the record straight: "[W]e've never done a report on leprosy until we had to set this record straight a couple of weeks ago."
From the June 18 edition of CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight:
DOBBS: And I'll have a few blunt words about the escalating attacks against me and this broadcast by left-wing liberal media organizations and a few others.
[...]
DOBBS: And our good friends at The New York Times continue to carry the water of their little left-wing cousin, the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC decided to make much of a comment by one of our correspondents at the end of a report on tuberculosis [sic] that we did two and a half years ago.
In what is apparently a fundraising frenzy, the SPLC sent out thousands of emails seeking donations and using my name to drive their supporters to open their wallets.
The correspondent's comment, by the way, referred to the national registry of leprosy cases rising to 7,000. The comment, by the way, was eight seconds long and, as I said, took place two and a half years ago. And we never produced a report on leprosy until I decided last month to set the record straight. Interestingly enough, the Times has never acknowledged those facts. I guess they're a little cumbersome for The New York Times, given all of the ideological weight that burdens them.
MMFA doesn't like Lou Dobbs because of his principled and unwavering committment to securing our borders and protecting the sovereignty of this nation. Because he advocates holding our elected leaders responsible to uphold the immigration laws on the books and demands existing laws against illegal immigration be enforced.......and because of that this tired "leprosy" canard comes up, again.
Weak.
Politically motivated.
Incredibly transparent.
I bet if he just said "Sorry, my bad", it would all be forgotten in no time. But he can't. His arrogant pride prevents him from just being man enough to admit a mistake, kind of like Republicans. Then on top of that, he ends with a snide little comment about someone else's idealogical bent. He's becoming a vaudeville character with a one-act play (immigration).
Old Lou also has a principled and unwavering committment to never admitting to an error.
All he has to say is, "I f__ked up, sorry, but I f__ked up. I'll try better next time."
What's so hard?
It's a two year old gaffe kept alive by those with a political agenda because of Dobb's positions on illegal immigration. It's hardly worth the press it's getting, and if it weren't for his illegal alien stance and those that oppose him, it would be a nonstory everywhere.
If it's so "not hard" to be upfront, then I would imagine you would have the same advice for this website and the real politically motivated reasons behind their covering this story.
Whitewater isn't worth the press it's getting either, but so far we have two books in print, another in the works and a soon to be released movie promising more relevations than a monkey can shake a stick at.
You know me, tommy. I'm all for turn about is fair play! ;)
One would think Dobbs could fairly easily bring the whole thing to closure with a few simple words. MMFA presumably wouldn't keep reporting it if Dobbs would simply quit misinforming about it.
Don't blame MMFA for pointing out Dobbs' odd behavior on this matter.
Its two years old and Dobbs is still DENYING it and obfuscating. I guess you want us to just forget it and ALLOW Dobbs to dishonestly spin his error. No thanks, not up to you.
It appears at best that Dobbs was sloppy in his managing editor duties, and at worst he is misleading and putting out false information......I would hope he would have the integrity to clear this up and be straightforward and honest as to what happened.
Why the flip-flop, Tommy? Dobbs is still lying, still hasn't admitted he made a mistake, still hasn't cleared it up, and now you're defending him. Why?
You're right. When the first thread on this topic came up I meant what I said. But after repetetive threads on this topic a month later, it is only becoming gratutious and politically motivated, considering the country is now embroiled in the illegal immigration debate, and Dobbs is one of the open border advocate's chief villains.
This was a one thread story, that's it.
You're acting as though it's MMFA that keeps resurrecting an old story. In fact, it's Dobbs who keeps retelling and defending the same lie. If Dobbs would stop lying, then MMFA would stop writing about it.
I'm sorry, but I hold journalists to a higher standard of accountability than you do apparently.
It would have been a one thread story if Dobbs hadn't made the same lie several times now. You see there is a strict proportionality here. A cause and effect of sorts. Dobbs lies and Dobbs gets an article from MMFA. I wonder how MMFA could ever be stopped? Hmmm...??
Bull. Dobbs keeps lying (at least 2 times beyond the first)that the matter has been cleared, but he hasn't owned up to anything. He lied to cover up a mistake or another lie, and either way, there's no integrity there, which you hoped he would have. MMFA just reported the facts, and you think THEY'VE got an agenda. He hasn't shown any integrity, now you're on his side. You're a partisan hack, where ideology means more than facts, and that you've flip-flopped on this issue (Dobbs lying) proves it for everyone here to see.
Wow, very well said. The hate toward Dobbs is similar to the love that MMFA Management has toward Olbermann. Why do so many of the progressives refuse to admit that the borders are not safe? Is calling Dobbs a liar and racist the only game they have?
Name a progressive (someone in the public eye or otherwise newsworthy, not your next door neighbor about whom we know nothing) who claims that the borders of the United States are safe?
since Lou did lie and used the lie to support racist garbage, I guess the shoe fits.
You obviously don't know the definition of the word canard, so I'll clue you in. A canard is a false or baseless story. There is nothing false or baseless about MMFA's coverage of Dobbs' leprosy misinformation or his continued refusal to admit he was wrong. This story is not a canard. dobbs lied and he continues to lie, but once again you blame the messenger by questioning MMFA's motivation behind covering the lies. Don't you ever get tired of being on the wrong side of things?
There's another humorous aspect to Tommy's misuse of "canard." He stated in another another topic that he doesn't "use latin or foreign phrases in an attempt to impress." I suppose he's right in one respect ... he didn't impress.
I missed that one. I suppose, much like the rules of logic, that Latin was invented by liberals who are only trying to hide the fact that they don't have an argument. Latin and foreign phrases are just more of that "liberal rhetoric doublespeak" (to quote Tommy on the subject of logical fallacies).
[Wow, oops!
You can easily make a valid case against illegal immigration without pulling stuff out of your pooper Dobbs.
I agree. This is beneath Dobbs, in my opinion. As a rule, I have always had great respect for him and his honesty and dedication to this issue.........if he doesn't clear this up, that is tarnished for me.
It appears at best that Dobbs was sloppy in his managing editor duties, and at worst he is misleading and putting out false information......I would hope he would have the integrity to clear this up and be straightforward and honest as to what happened.
Lynn,
Very well said, I agree completely. When such easily verifiable numbers like this can be proven and false ones refuted with a staff fact checker, why would anyone, who pretty much stakes their reputation on this issue, be so cavalier in their lazy reporting? I sincerely hope Dobbs sets the record straight.
I have addressed this already. You are referencing the first thread on this topic where I stated my opinions. Now, several duplicated threads later leads to the reasonable conclusion that MMFA is out to stick it to Lou Dobbs. And considering his illegal immigration stance, it's obvious why.
Isn't Dobbs the one who keeps bringing it up? Is MMFA faking the footage?
He's wrong, he got called on it he should just fess up.
He's either being stubborn, lazy or simply lying. I expect more from him or I used to anyway. THis could have all gone away already.
Monk,
What you and the others are missing, intentionally or not, is that this is not about this leprosy thing at all, that is minor by anyone's standard in the broader context......it is rather, an excuse to put Dobbs in the most negative light possible because of his illegal immigration position. That's very obvious. It's politically motivated, agenda-driven advocacy by this website, pure and simple.
Masquerading as "misinformation".
We're not going to see eye to eye on this, so be it.
When I'm wrong and proven to be wrong I'll gladly admit to it instead of trying to brush it off. Simple as that. Dobbs is doing this to himself entirely. Don't go on Tv and claim to set the record straight if you have no intention of setting the record straight.
This is 100% about the leprosy thing.
It has nothing to do with his stance on immigration.
Posters can flip flop their screennames, but being naive and uninformed isn't so easily hidden.
yes we see you doing that in every post AA/ap/letherjockstrap/rogain7/tommyboy
Tommy said yesterday that he didn't care who I was in a previous life here, even though I don't have a previous screen name here, but today he's back to his old, stale tricks of implying that I am a sockpuppet, which I'm not.
He doesn't care, but since he cannot refute my points, he has no option but to bring it up again.
As often as he brings this up again, I'll bring up his statement that he supposedly doesn't care.
That's called being a hypocrite. He supposedly doesn't care but he still brings it up!
Check the archives, might make your next post more relevent. which would be a good thing.
Some hard numbers, links, smoke signals, quantun wave collapse, sumthin. Tell me about liberal affrimation of a double negative.
Who got the compliment?
Am I the only one who gets the Obama/Sun Times vido and not the leporsy video?
Yes. An error was made with the clip. This means that nothing that has ever been reported on this site in the past of in the future can be regarded as true or reliable anymore.
They can do a correction and put the correct clip in now, but that will change nothing.
For years and years now this horrible error (that seems to imply that Obama and Clinton have leprosy) must be brought up and recited as nauseum to make sure that the world knows forever more that this site cannot be trusted.
Referring to the Southern Poverty Law Center as The New York Times' "little left-wing cousin" is an unwarranted, spiteful, petty, despicable and puerile little attack on one of the finest civil rights organizations in this country. Dobbs has really lowered himself.
Lou Dobbs couldn't set the record straight with a level.
You guys just hate Dobbs because he is principled on immigration and wants to protect our sovereignty !
Man, I hate people like that!
Sorry but I'll give Lou the benefit before I will MMFA which has taken a pro amensty stand for illegals in support of President Bush. What is with the non stop attacks on Lou?
Generally I support MMFA wholeheartedly but their nonstop attack on Lou is getting tedious regarding something that happened years ago.
That MMFA is in total support of Bush is just mindboggling.
The way I look at it, is if Bush says it's a good idea...that means it isn't. The idiot Chimpy McFlightsuit hasn't been right about ANYTHING since he took office. So why is MMFA so suddenly pro illegal alien amnesty by attacking Lou constantly? I am beginning to doubt MMFA's true agenda these days. They suddenly seem to be marching in lockstep with corporate America and against the middle class of America.
You're giving Lou the benefit of what? The benefit of doubt? There's no doubt that he's wrong. If you'd like to argue that Dobbs isn't wrong about his leprosy information and his ongoing defense of that information, then you should attempt to do that with some facts to back it up, but right now you're defending him simply because you agree with his opinions on immigration. Just because you agree with him doesn't mean that his facts are straight. They aren't. And MMFA is correct in pointing that out. You can characterize that as an attack if it makes you empathize with poor Lou, and you can say MMFA is motivated by their opposition to Lou's agenda, but the facts are still on MMFA's side.
How does MMFA support illegal immigration again? Because last I saw, they are a media watchdog operation open to exposing conservative misinformation. I don't see where they are an organization for illegal immigration.
They attack Dobbs because he's trying to use fear and lies to make people anti immigration basically. He's saying, "Watch out! If you keep letting these Mexicans in here they're going to give you leprosy."
This site exposes his lies, and his words, nothing else.
One simple example MMFA supports illegal immigration is by falsely claiming that amnesty is an incorrect term in this current immigration bill.
More Lou Dobbs demonization as evidenced by several threads recently criticizing him for using the correct term - amnesty.
Amnesty is incorrect, as we've discussed before. As the definition of amnesty is essentially "getting off scott free", which in the case of the last bill, and this one, is not the case. There are fines, travel back to countries, and then getting at the back of the line to possibly gain American citizenship. Amnesty would be saying, "Hey! You're here! Don't do anything, you're good to go." and you and I both know, that's not the case.
Amnesty is a nice title given to this by its opponents so that it makes it sound more dubious than it is. Sort of like the so called "Death Tax". It's actually pretty good packaging by mostly republicans.
Like I said on another thread yesterday, rightwingers like renaming things to discredit those things.
Partial birth abortion instead of the medical procedure's name of Intact Dilation and Extraction.
Amnesty instead of a factual review of what's really in the new immigration proposal.
Democrat Party instead of Democratic Party.
Ok, here are the facts.
"The correspondent's comment, by the way, referred to the national registry of leprosy cases rising to 7,000. The comment, by the way, was eight seconds long and, as I said, took place two and a half years ago. And we never produced a report on leprosy until I decided last month to set the record straight."
The number in the registry at the time of the correspondent's comment was 7,000. That is correct.
They had never researched and produced their own report on leprosy, they were using someone else's report. That is correct.
They produced their own report to set the record straight, to make sure people watching it understood the facts pertaining to the subject fully and would not be left with a false impression from a sound bite. They did that and that is correct.
The SPLC has de-evolved into a worthless whiny organization. That is open to personal opinion and having read their site more than once in the last seven years it is one that I also share.
I agree with the others who see this nit picking as an attempt to destroy an anti-globalist progressive voice.
If an entire filmed report on the current state of leprosy including all of the current top experts int he field is not considered good enough to set the record straight than obviously nothing would be good enough.
If you want to quarrel over the description of the SPLC that is one thing, but the leprosy issue is resolved, over, a dead issue.
Except that you conveniently left out the lie, which was, "There have been 7,000 [leprosy cases] in the past three years."
This thread is so funny I laughed my *** off.
Oops...
Good one, AA.
Frankly, I do not think you or the SPLC give a damn about the people who suffer from leprosy or their families, or you would have appreciated CNN doing the report on the subject.
As I said, this is not about setting the record straight at all. The record was set straight.
This is about trying to silence a ant-globalist progressive voice with a little lock stepping globalist chant like a good little elitist soldier.
Calling the media out on bad reporting is good. Not giving a damn about the correct information being put out in response is just as bad as the bad reporting in the first place.
March on little soldier, march on, before you begin to look as useless and whiny as the SPLC. Harping on one tiny piece of bad reporting out of years of good progressive coverage is just not going to silence it all.
NO AMNESTY FOR ILLEGALS!
Out of curiousity, do you support a pardon for "Scooter"?