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You are here: Home / Politics / Media / Sadly, Glenn Beck and Loud Dobbs Still Have Jobs

Sadly, Glenn Beck and Loud Dobbs Still Have Jobs

by John Cole|  December 4, 20085:12 pm| 38 Comments

This post is in: Media, Science & Technology

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Cuts at CNN:

CNN, the Cable News Network, announced yesterday that it will cut its entire science, technology, and environment news staff, including Miles O’Brien, its chief technology and environment correspondent, as well as six executive producers. Mediabistro’s TVNewser broke the story.

“We want to integrate environmental, science and technology reporting into the general editorial structure rather than have a stand alone unit,” said CNN spokesperson Barbara Levin. “Now that the bulk of our environmental coverage is being offered through the Planet in Peril franchise, which is produced by the Anderson Cooper 360 program, there is no need for a separate unit.”

Discuss.

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38Comments

  1. 1.

    Incertus

    December 4, 2008 at 5:19 pm

    Well, O’Brien can always go back to his job as chief engineer at Deep Space 9.

    Look, it’s the natural joke, and someone has to make it, okay?

  2. 2.

    Paul L.

    December 4, 2008 at 5:31 pm

    Lou Dobbs is a blowhard. But this exchange with Media Matters ideologue and a left-wing hack Paul Waldman raised my opinion of him.

    WALDMAN: My point is, that I asked you when was the last time you did a positive story about immigrants. You can’t even answer me. So the question is that, if you understand…

    DOBBS: What was the last time you did a positive story at Media Matters on a right-wing Republican candidate? When was the last time?

    WALDMAN: If you can understand, Lou…

    DOBBS: When was the last time you did it?

    WALDMAN: If you understand, Lou, that…

    DOBBS: When was the last time you did that report?

    WALDMAN: Are you going to let me make me point?

    DOBBS: I think I made it.

    Watch Paul Waldman dance, spin and dodge that one.

  3. 3.

    Laura W

    December 4, 2008 at 5:38 pm

    Jesus, I waited so long for the site to load I forgot what I was gonna say…um……
    This is disgusting, and you forgot to mention Kitty Pilgrim, filling in for Lou. Lord. People used to mock Baba Wawa for the vaseline gauze camera lens. Talk about a Dobbs sock puppet. Don’t even get me started on Larry "The Banal" King. Shouldn’t he be in a home somewhere. Like a decade ago? Waste of an hour. (I’d say: "Who does he blow to keep that show?" but it would be unladylike of me.)

    Miles (along with Kyra Phillips and Don Lemmon) are three people I actually enjoy listening to over there. They are too classy for CNN, actually. (Fredericka, Leon Harris and Senor Sanchez…not so much. Fred makes me nuts. Her voice inflections are always 100% inappropriate in tone to the severity of the story she is spewing. ie, she sounds like Mary Poppins when she’s reading off a bombing victim count.)

    While I really enjoy my nightly ritual of wine o’clock while surfing BJ, I am one of Those People who gets really melodramatic and pissy when denied access. Therefore, I spent the first glass of wine with Sara. I have to admit, I got way more laughs with her than I’ve gotten from this site today. (Surely due to the lack of any good Fat Tunch posts.)

    (Please take my edit…please take my edit…)

  4. 4.

    smiley

    December 4, 2008 at 5:40 pm

    CNN, the Cable News Network, announced yesterday that it will cut its entire science, technology, and environment news staff,

    None of that stuff is important anyway, right?

    “Now that the bulk of our environmental coverage is being offered through the Planet in Peril franchise, which is produced by the Anderson Cooper 360 program, there is no need for a separate unit.”

    Anderson Cooper (‘s team) is far more qualified and environmental issues are far more important than general science and technology anyway, right?

  5. 5.

    JasonF

    December 4, 2008 at 5:51 pm

    I’m trying to decide whether that’s a typo in the title of the post. If so, it is the most apt typo in the history of typing.

  6. 6.

    smiley

    December 4, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    @Laura W:
    (along with Kyra Phillips

    That’s a joke, right? She was the one who asked an Iraqi child who had been dismembered by a bomb if he/she was grateful to America because it liberated Iraq.

  7. 7.

    TheAssInTheHatOnMyCat(Formerly Comrade Tax Analyst)

    December 4, 2008 at 6:08 pm

    JasonF
    I’m trying to decide whether that’s a typo in the title of the post. If so, it is the most apt typo in the history of typing.

    HAR…indeed…LOL

    Loud Dobbs

  8. 8.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    December 4, 2008 at 6:10 pm

    If "Loud Dobbs" was a typo, it was a damn useful one.

  9. 9.

    Blue Raven

    December 4, 2008 at 6:13 pm

    @Incertus:

    Well, O’Brien can always go back to his job as chief engineer at Deep Space 9.

    Look, it’s the natural joke, and someone has to make it, okay?

    Damn, beaten to the punch.

  10. 10.

    Laura W

    December 4, 2008 at 6:14 pm

    I’m sorry, John. I’ve had to report you to Mozilla Crash Reporter. Firefox must have stroked out worse than ever (sorry Michael!) because this new window popped up and wanted to know where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with when this horrendous violation of internet fluidity had occurred.
    They threatened to take my wine, John!
    Sophie’s Choice!
    Forgive me.
    Laura W POW
    (Smiley: I guess I missed that particular segment both on air and on blogs, but no, I was not joking. The majority of her on-air time is infinitely more interesting, and intelligent, than most any of the other idjuts mentioned above. Hopefully, when I joke, you’ll know it. Or not.)

    (apologies in advance if this double posts. I just another brand new error page! At least the BJ rejections and refusals are original and fresh.)

  11. 11.

    Laura W

    December 4, 2008 at 6:16 pm

    I’m sorry, John. I’ve had to report you to Mozilla Crash Reporter. Firefox must have stroked out worse than ever (sorry Michael!) because this new window popped up and wanted to know where I was, what I was doing, and who I was with when this horrendous violation of internet fluidity had occurred.
    They threatened to take my wine, John!
    Sophie’s Choice!
    Forgive me.
    Laura W POW
    (Smiley: I guess I missed that particular segment both on air and on blogs, but no, I was not joking. The majority of her on-air time is infinitely more interesting, and intelligent, than most any of the other idjuts mentioned above. I also know she gets out from behind the desk and goes to war countries often. Hopefully, when I joke, you’ll know it. Or not.)

    (apologies in advance if this double posts. I just had another brand new error page! At least the BJ rejections and refusals are original and fresh.)

  12. 12.

    Xecky Gilchrist

    December 4, 2008 at 6:16 pm

    HAR…indeed…LOL

    Argh, beaten to my joke (because I didn’t read closely, though the four-minute wait for my comment to appear didn’t help).

  13. 13.

    TenguPhule

    December 4, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    I welcome the return of the real site, WordPress Error.

  14. 14.

    Paul L.

    December 4, 2008 at 6:27 pm

    Glenn Beck and Loud Dobbs Still Have Jobs

    No mention of Nancy Grace?
    BTW, Glenn Beck left CNN for Fox News.

  15. 15.

    Zifnab

    December 4, 2008 at 6:43 pm

    No mention of Nancy Grace?

    Fair enough. You got us there, Paul. Everyone, let us join hands in harmony with the acknowledgment that we all can’t fucking stand Nancy Grace.

    Wow. So this is what bipartisanship is like. I feel all tingly.

  16. 16.

    Jon H

    December 4, 2008 at 6:44 pm

    PaulL wrote: "DOBBS: What was the last time you did a positive story at Media Matters on a right-wing Republican candidate? When was the last time?"

    Um, there’s a huge difference between MediaMatters criticizing rich people in power, or seeking power, and Lou Dobbs inspiring fear and hatred of poor brown people.

    Do you honestly not see the difference?

  17. 17.

    AhabTRuler

    December 4, 2008 at 6:50 pm

    Nancy Grace is the Devil!

    No, seriously, she is.

  18. 18.

    TenguPhule

    December 4, 2008 at 6:53 pm

    Do you honestly not see the difference?

    Of course not.

    This has been another edition of simple answers for simple questions regarding simpletons.

  19. 19.

    dr. bloor

    December 4, 2008 at 6:53 pm

    In related news, CNN also announced today the unveiling of their new "Kidnapped White Women" division.

    Also, Jon H:

    Do you honestly not see the difference?

    Nope. Paul L’s inability to do so pretty much defines him as Paul L.

  20. 20.

    C

    December 4, 2008 at 6:53 pm

    @Paul L.: Rhetorical games don’t make that statement not true or in any way in Dobbs’ favor.

    He’s slime.

  21. 21.

    Comrade Stuck

    December 4, 2008 at 6:55 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    I welcome the return of the real site, WordPress Error.

    Me too. Plus it gives me time to figure out that what I was going to say was outdated and wrong. Better to go with fresh wrong and let teh chips fall where they may.

  22. 22.

    AhabTRuler

    December 4, 2008 at 7:01 pm

    I stopped watching CNN years ago. Still go to the .com, tho. I treat it as a stunted view of what my fellow Americans are being distracted by. Then I go somewhere else to find out what is going on.

  23. 23.

    TenguPhule

    December 4, 2008 at 7:01 pm

    Better to go with fresh wrong and let teh chips fall where they may.

    Here you can catch wrong so fresh that it’s still moving feebly as the jackalopes feast on its innards

  24. 24.

    Comrade Stuck

    December 4, 2008 at 7:04 pm

    I’m embarrassed to say I used to respect Lou Dobbs as the working man’s hero and the bane of George W Bush. That is, until it became clear that he was completely insane.

  25. 25.

    Zifnab

    December 4, 2008 at 7:17 pm

    Do you honestly not see the difference?

    In one case, you’ve got a watch dog group on a private website cataloging documented instances of vulgarity, racism, and hypocrisy committed by widely viewed and politically powerful news anchors, institute heads, and popular politicians.

    In the other case, you’ve got a talking head making outlandish claims and quoting wilding inaccurate statistics in an attempt to smear poverty stricken undocumented immigrants fleeing jobless third world countries.,br>

    I’m not seeing a difference.

  26. 26.

    Laura W

    December 4, 2008 at 7:17 pm

    @smiley:

    She was the one who asked an Iraqi child who had been dismembered by a bomb if he/she was grateful to America because it liberated Iraq.

    Well, your strong tone on this issue sent me off to google, Smiley, and while I don’t know why I have taken it upon myself to defend Kyra Phillips, I do believe in her integrity, and her heart.
    I found this…is this the boy of which you speak?If so, this was in April of 2003. How many of us have had a perspective shift since then?

    The only thing I can find in this transcript that approximates your perspective is: PHILLIPS: Doctor, does he understand why this war took place? Has he talked about Operation Iraqi Freedom and the meaning? Does he understand it?
    I may be too far into my Yellow Tail Shiraz to go to the mat on this one, but if you can educate me with more accurate info. re. your statement with another transcript or video that uses your language, I’d appreciate it. (Really. No snark.) I’m guessing that Kyra has had a bit of a world view shift since April of 2003, and she would not be the only one. I am judging her on her recent body of work when I express admiration for her.

  27. 27.

    That One - Cain

    December 4, 2008 at 7:44 pm

    @Zifnab:

    Wow. So this is what bipartisanship is like. I feel all tingly.

    Better check your pants.

    cain

  28. 28.

    harlana pepper

    December 4, 2008 at 7:54 pm

    Beck is a pustule.

  29. 29.

    Brian J

    December 4, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    Don’t even get me started on Larry "The Banal" King. Shouldn’t he be in a home somewhere. Like a decade ago? Waste of an hour. (I’d say: "Who does he blow to keep that show?" but it would be unladylike of me.)

    He gets to keep it because he still gets pretty decent ratings. It’s the same sort of deal with Dobbs, and it will probably be the same sort of deal with Glenn Beck once he starts his show at Fox. That’s pretty much the name of the game. Hell, MSNBC could give a show to Tony Perkins and Rick Santorum talking about the evils of gay marriage five nights a week at 10:00 PM, and if it kept 80 percent of Rachel Maddow’s audience, they’d be kings at the network.

    Anyway, this sort of development wouldn’t bother me so much if there appeared to be a plan to bring on people from relevant organizations and publications. If it allows them to focus on other types of reporting where they can’t milk the efforts of someone else, then perhaps it’s a good move overall. But is there such a plan? Or will there simply be less of focus on this type of news?

  30. 30.

    josephdietrich

    December 5, 2008 at 1:55 am

    Well, I guess that means that we can now ignore CNN for all except the most basic science, technology, and environment news. I mean, not that you could trust it all that much in the past, but now they’ve just admitted they are not even going to try and get it right.

    Imagine if they had announced, "We are going to cut our sports staff, and roll it into our general editorial unit." I’m sure sports fans can tell you why this would be a bad idea.

  31. 31.

    josephdietrich

    December 5, 2008 at 2:06 am

    On second thought, however, maybe that’s the whole point. They’ve just admitted they aren’t any good at it and aren’t even going to try to be any more. So maybe that’s a good thing.

  32. 32.

    Zuzu's Petals

    December 5, 2008 at 2:06 am

    Does this mean the doctor-commentator guy will no longer be commentating?

    Or is he more an entertainment guy than a science guy? I get mixed up.

  33. 33.

    Johnny Pez

    December 5, 2008 at 2:20 am

    We want to integrate environmental, science and technology reporting into the general editorial structure

    So, from now on, no science stories unless they involve missing white girls.

  34. 34.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    December 5, 2008 at 8:13 am

    Given the general quality and tone of CNN’s reporting on anything but missing blonde women, I’m counting this as a major victory for science and technology.

  35. 35.

    lou

    December 5, 2008 at 10:11 am

    And damn, John Roberts still has a job.

  36. 36.

    Edly

    December 5, 2008 at 2:28 pm

    I generally don’t watch CNN unless there’s an election going on. Stopped watching it, in fact, after about a day of nothing but "Missing Teenager in Aruba" reporting. I’m still holding a grudge against them for that.

    I actually emailed them several times in the following 6 weeks(!) of constant reporting to tell them that I had stopped watching them for more than about 10 seconds every few days to see if they had stopped reporting "no news on the missing teenage girl" and asked them if they had reported on how many teenage girls went missing in the U.S. in that period of time. No response, and no surprise.

    Getting rid of their science division is only going to make them less interesting. Their loss.

    Anyone have any idea how difficult it would be to create an actual cable NEWS network? You know, a cable TV network that reported NEWS, and maybe actual in-depth analysis, instead of just reading press releases? Maybe telling us the truth instead of giving both sides equal weight, even when one side is clearly batshit? Yeah, I know I’m wishing for a little too much.

    Now, if only Dish Network gave me MSNBC as basic instead of premium I could dump CNN entirely…

  37. 37.

    pseudonymous in nc

    December 6, 2008 at 3:49 am

    Loud Obbs could have run a story, say, on the problems that long-time permanent residents had this year in dealing with the backlog for naturalization. CNN ran pieces about it. He didn’t. Mr ‘I’m only concerned with bad illegal immigrants’ took a pass. Oh, and he could have run a story on the white supremacist methlab Tennessee assholes who wanted to kill a bunch of black people, and talked about killing Obama. That he didn’t was… interesting. Sorry, Dobbs is filth. He has his own reporting and production staff for his show, because the rest of CNN doesn’t like having to take a Karen Silkwood shower afterwards.

    In truth, if you get the chance to watch the international CNN feed, it’ll surprise you. It’s not great, but it shows that CNN’s domestic output is a deliberate editorial choice for ‘murkins. The international feed, aimed at upscale biz travellers, is very different.

    (As for Kyra, I’ll give her a pass. She did a couple of stints in Iraq over the past couple of years.)

  38. 38.

    pseudonymous in nc

    December 6, 2008 at 3:50 am

    Loud Obbs could have run a story, say, on the problems that long-time permanent residents had this year in dealing with the backlog for naturalization. CNN ran pieces about it. He didn’t. Mr ‘I’m only concerned with bad illegal immigrants’ took a pass. Oh, and he could have run a story on the white supremacist methlab Tennessee assholes who wanted to kill a bunch of black people, and talked about killing Obama. That he didn’t was… interesting. Sorry, Dobbs is filth. He has his own reporting and production staff for his show, because the rest of CNN doesn’t like having to take a Karen Silkwood shower afterwards.

    In truth, if you get the chance to watch the international CNN feed, it’ll surprise you. It’s not great, but it shows that CNN’s domestic output is a deliberate editorial choice for ‘murkins. The international feed, aimed at upscale biz travellers, is very different.

    (As for Kyra, I’ll give her a pass. She did a couple of stints in Iraq over the past couple of years.)

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