CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil had come under fire for grilling the author and accusing him of having extremist views
Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates testifies during a hearing on slavery reparations held in Washington in 2019. (Zach Gibson/AFP)
By Mera Aladam
CBS News executives told employees that an interview with author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, where he was accused by a programme host of “extremist” views in his writing about Palestinians, did not meet the network’s editorial standards, according to several reports.
“We all must conduct ourselves in a way that avoids raising any questions about our journalistic independence and integrity,” Adrienne Roark, head of newsgathering for CBS News and stations, told staff on Monday.
“We are here to report news without fear or favour. There are times we fail our audiences and each other. We’re in one of those times right now, and it’s been growing. And we’re at a tipping point,” she continued.
Last month, CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil faced heavy backlash from social media users who accused him of unprofessionalism and bias for his 30 September interview with Coates about his latest book, The Message, a collection of essays about the author’s experiences in Senegal, the American South and Palestine.
Dokoupil said that the section of the book on Israel and Palestine – where the author describes his observations about conditions in the occupied West Bank, which he calls a system of apartheid – “would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist”.
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He went on to accuse the author of writing on the Israel-Palestine conflict in a way that “de-legitimises the pillars of Israel”.
“What is it that particularly offends you about the existence of a Jewish state?” he asked.
According to the reports, several reporters and correspondents objected to Dokoupil’s attitude in the segment with the writer, prompting the call with network executives.
Roark told staffers that “We will still hold people accountable… But we will do so objectively, and that means very plainly checking our biases and opinions at the door, and that applies to every single one of us.”
She added that the situation “has been addressed, and it will continue to be in the future” without naming specific individuals.
Reporter Jan Crawford reportedly backed Dokoupil, saying: “It’s my understanding that as journalists we are obligated to challenge that worldview so that our viewers can have that access to the truth or a fuller account, a more balanced account. And, to me, that is what Tony did.”
Some social media users agreed with Crawford.
“Not only was @tonydokoupil’s interview not ‘tense’ – if anything, I thought he was too kind – but does CBS just want unchallenging puff pieces now? Is journalism forbidden on CBS news shows?” one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Others, however, have continued to support Coates, with one user saying : “There was nothing ‘heated’ about the interview. Mr Coates was calm and pleasant throughout. It was that CBS employee that was spewing every racist cliche at him.”
One user also called on Dokoupil to “issue an apology to Coates, or be fired”.
Several social media users wrote that while they did not agree with the way the interview was conducted, it highlighted mainstream media narratives about Israel and Palestine.
“I didn’t mind this line of questioning. It perfectly reflected how the legacy media, and the political class, sees the issues, and it allowed Coates to answer in ways that American audiences never get to hear,” said one user.
MEE has reached out to CBS, Coates and Dokoupil.