Lou Dobbs biography

Synopsis

Early Career

Journalist, television host, businessman, and author. Born on September 24, 1945, in Childress, Texas. A conservative television journalist and host of Lou Dobbs Tonight, Lou Dobbs is known for sharp business acumen as well as his strong opinions. After spending part of his youth in Rupert, Idaho, he went to Harvard University, graduating with a degree in economics in 1967.

In 1980, Dobbs joined the then-fledging Cable News Network (CNN) created by business mogul Ted Turner. He anchored Moneyline, which covered financial news. The show became one of the leading business programs on the air with Dobbs emerging as one of the best well-known journalists in his field. Only after four years with the network, he became a vice president and managing editor of financial news. One of the defining moments of his career up until this point was his coverage of the 1987 stock market crash, which earned him the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award.

Creation of Space.com

When CNN launched its own financial news network in 1995, it seemed only natural that the company would turn to Dobbs for this venture. He served as president of CNNfn until his departure in 1999. Dobbs announced that, after nearly twenty years with CNN, he was leaving to start a new Internet company. A devotee to space and space exploration, he decided to build upon his personal interest rather than capitalize on his financial expertise to start space.com, a company that developed space-related multimedia content.

Lou Dobbs Tonight

In 2001, Dobbs returned to CNN and to anchoring Moneyline. The show's title was changed to Lou Dobbs Tonight, which better reflected the program’s broader scope, two years later. The program won an Emmy Award in 2004 for its segment on "Exporting America," which tied in to his book with the same title. The following year, Dobbs himself won a Lifetime Achievement Emmy for his contributions to the field of financial and business news. In November of 2009, Dobbs surprised viewers by announcing he was again resigning from CNN.

Controversy

Along with all of the accolades, Dobbs has found himself under intense scrutiny for some of his remarks. Back in 2002, for example, he described the war against terror as a "war against Islamists." Dobbs said that the phrase referred to Islamic extremists only, but some critics thought the term would only create more confusion and fuel anti-Muslim sentiments. No matter what opponents and supporters have said, he has remained outspoken in his social, economic, and political views.