Original sentence: His statements in support of these investigations have been dubbed "racist" and "defamatory" by the Southern Poverty Law Center.In July 2009, Dobbs was  criticized for giving air time to individuals who question Obama's birth within the United States
Edited sentence: His statements in support of these investigations have been dubbed "racist" and "defamatory" by the Southern Poverty Law Center The controversy led to Media Matters airing ads critical of Dobbs and of CNN, and to Jon Stewart mocking Dobbs on the satirical The Daily Show.In mid-2009, Dobbs was  criticized for giving air time to Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories claiming Barack Obama was not born in the United States, even though CNN itself considered it a "discredited rumor".The issue had come up in 2008 during the Presidential campaign, and had largely disappeared from the media spotlight until Dobbs picked up the issue again