The Ethical Optimist

I’d like to share a recent email I received, which follows up an earlier post I wrote titled “CNN Can’t Have it Both Ways.”

In it, I discussed how CNN is doing a special series on Latinos, while at the same time refuses to censure Lou Dobbs for his anti-Hispanic rants.  The campaign to bring attention to the issue and oust Dobbs is being spearheaded by Presente.org.  I find their tactics interesting. They’ve tried to go the tried-and-true PR route, only to be censured.  Now, they’re taking a different tact. It should be interesting to see what happens.

In the interim, I thought I’d share their latest email, because the censorship issue is one that is deeply disturbing (although not surprising) to me.  The guerrilla online campaign they are mounting is a creative way to get their point across and worth sharing:

You and more than 75,000 others are spreading the BastaDobbs message across the country, but now CNN is trying to silence us.

Last week, BastaDobbs partners held events in 19 major cities attracting major media coverage, including El Diario (the nation’s second largest Spanish language paper) and the New York Times.^1,2 CNN sent cameras to several events, but they never ran the story. And when a BastaDobbs representative talked about Lou Dobbs on a CNN show, they edited out her comments.³

We have a way to make sure our message gets on CNN. Please click here to find out how:

http://bastadobbs.com/lia/?mid=2224-56539

The BastaDobbs local events, and their coverage in the media, were a powerful testament to the growing strength of our campaign. On the day of the events, campaign spokesman Roberto Lovato was even asked to appear on Lou Dobbs’ show. His response: “I’ll appear on one condition: that CNN president Jon Klein be there in person to hear our concerns.”⁴

Klein refused our offer, so instead, campaign partner and human rights advocate Isabel García carried the BastaDobbs message to CNN. When García appeared on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360, she twice mentioned the danger Lou Dobbs poses to Latino and immigrant communities. But both comments were edited out of the final interview.⁵

Since CNN will not give us fair air time, we’ve found another way to get the point across. A portion of CNN’s web site — called “iReport” — is dedicated to photos and videos submitted by everyday people. It is the perfect place to tell CNN exactly how you feel. Can you take a picture or shoot a short video telling CNN to dump Dobbs? Please click below to see photos and video that have already been sent in, and then add your voice to the chorus.

http://bastadobbs.com/lia/?mid=2224-56539

We know our campaign is making a difference, and we know that CNN executives have taken notice. Now is the time to keep up the pressure by flooding CNN’s web site with our message: Basta Dobbs. Please take a few minutes to join us, and encourage your friends and family to do the same.

Gracias and Adelante!

Favianna, Laurie, Roberto, and the Presente.org Team

References

1. “Hispanos a CNN: ¿eres latino o anti-latino?,” El Diario La Prensa, 10-22-09
http://tinyurl.com/ygobvtk

2. “CNN Special on Latinos Stokes Debate Over Dobbs,” NY Times, 10-23-09
http://tinyurl.com/ykt7tr7

3. “CNN Special on Latinos Stokes Debate Over Dobbs,” NY Times, 10-23-09
http://tinyurl.com/ykt7tr7

4. “BastaDobbs Responds to Invite from Lou,” Huffington Post, 10-21-09
http://tinyurl.com/yza8axl

5. “CNN’s Special on Latinos Stirs Protests Against Anchor,” NY Times, 10-22-09
http://tinyurl.com/yle4wxs

I’m curious to know what my fellow PR professionals think of this approach and the situation itself.   Please share your thoughts.