Lack of Journalistic Ethics and Carelessness of CNN

Monday, CNN commentator Lou Dobbs went live on his radio show and claimed that a bullet hit his Sussex, New Jersey home, and that the attack was motivated by his conservative views on immigration. Dobbs stated that in the weeks leading up to the attack, he had received numerous death threats that he did not report to authorities because “it’s become a way of life…. They’ve now fired a shot at my house.”

Today the New York Post has reported that law enforcement did not receive any reports of death threats against Dobbs. The bullet may have been a stray round from a near-by hunter. Sgt. Stephen Jones said, "At this time of year, hunter complaints go up" and that “With hunting season starting up, such incidents are not at all uncommon.” Today's Huffington Post provides more detail of law enforcement’s investigation. With further tests pending, Jones did not give an opinion on the cause of the bullet incident.

CNN has demonstrated a lack of standards by allowing Dobbs to proclaim on air that he is now under literal fire from liberals, when the investigation is ongoing and there are obvious benign explanations. To what extent did CNN allow unsubstantiated, sensational attack claims on-air to fire up audience and ratings?

Adam Hamilton

http://http//www.huffingtonpost.com/isabel-macdonald/nj-law-enforcement-appear_b_339696.html