Lou Dobbs' next move remains a mystery
Next stop for Lou Dobbs?
Who knows - except for Lou.
The day after one of the most dramatic exits in CNN history - the most? - the reasons for said exit remain elusive. "I have no idea what Lou's gonna do," said one high-level industry source. And apparently, this person's not alone.
CNN officials declined to comment Thursday, except to announce that veteran political reporter and chief national correspondent John King will become anchor of a new 7 p.m. program starting in January. Otherwise, nada.
Dobbs is a CNN vet who has held on-air and management positions at the network for its entire history except for a brief hiatus in '99, and then redefined that career in recent years with his strident stand against illegal immigration, which won him fans and detractors. (He recently said shots were fired at his home; New Jersey State Police believed it may have been a hunter.) Dobbs told viewers Wednesday that political issues "are now defined in the public arena by partisanship and ideology" and "I'll be working diligently to change that as best I can."
Which means? Politics (his political ambitions have been the subject of speculation for just about his entire CNN run) or academia, or think tanks, or Fox News Channel? FNC denied any discussions about 10 seconds after his on-air resignation.
Mark Feldstein, a veteran CNN investigative producer and now a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University said, "Clearly, there's more to the story that has yet to come out."
