AJCommittee touts CNN response

The Amerian Jewish Committee praised CNN’s response to its complaint about immigration coverage.

CNN President Jim Walton in a letter to the AJC said he agrees that immigration is a complex issue and that viewers should be informed about the “backgrounds and affiliations” of guests on the network’s programs.

The AJC, which described the response as “positive, constructive,” wrote to Walton last month complaining that it was “inappropriate and offensive” for CNN to provide a platform for immigration activists “that promote hate, espouse vigilantism, white supremacy or even violence in the immigration debate.”

Walton made no acknowledgment of wrongdoing on CNN’s part, nor did he make any promises to restrict guests on CNN’s programs, vowing instead to continue to present “diverse perspectives and viewpoints.”

CNN host Lou Dobbs has become a lightning rod on immigration, though neither the AJC or CNN in their letters noted his outspokenness on the issue.