According to CBS News, the heated interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates did not meet editorial standards after criticism

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CNN
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CBS News executives said Monday that a heated morning show interview with acclaimed author Ta-Nehisi Coates that compared his new book to “extremist” writings did not meet the network's editorial standards.

CBS executives told employees during a daily editorial meeting that last week's controversial “CBS Mornings” interview with Coates, conducted by co-host Tony Dokoupil, had been discussed with Dokoupil.

The assessment reassured some employees who had objected to Dokoupil's tone during the interview with Coates. But it angered other employees, who thought Dokoupil's interview was appropriately harsh.

“As journalists, we have a duty to challenge controversial guests and that's exactly what Tony did,” a concerned correspondent, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told CNN.

Coates, a National Book Award winner, published “The Message” last week, in which he portrays Israel's treatment of the Palestinians as a moral crime that many Americans cannot or will not confront head-on.

“For just as my ancestors were born in a land where none of them were equal to a white man, Israel turned out to be a land where no Palestinian was ever equal to a Jew,” Coates wrote.

During the September 30 interview, Dokoupil objected to Coates' portrayal in the book.

“I have to say, when I read the book, I imagine if I took your name out, if I took away the awards and the acclaim, if I took the cover off the book, the publisher would disappear, the contents of this “It would not be out of place in an extremist’s backpack,” Dokoupil told Coates.

Dokoupil said he wondered why a “talented, smart” author would “leave so much out of the book.” “Why ignore the fact that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to destroy it? Why ignore the fact that Israel is dealing with terrorist groups that want to destroy it?”

Coates didn't appear fazed by the questioning, as “CBS Mornings” co-hosts Gayle King and Nate Burleson watched mostly in silence.

“There is no shortage of this perspective in the American media,” Coates said, adding that his book is not intended to be a complete history or analysis of the conflict. Coates said he wanted to focus on a different perspective.

“I’m always most concerned about those who don’t have a voice,” he said.

The gripping interview – intense by the often leisurely standards of morning television – has since been viewed many millions of times on streaming websites. But for all the praise and attention the interview received, it also sparked resentment within CBS News, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Several correspondents and producers felt that Dokoupil betrayed a bias against Coates, and some suspected that Dokoupil had frequently made harsh on-air comments in the past about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Dokoupil has written publicly about converting to Judaism and has said publicly that two of his children live in Israel with his ex-wife.

In response to the criticism, Wendy McMahon, president and CEO of CBS News and Stations, and her top deputy, Adrienne Roark, tasked the network's standards and practices department with conducting a review of the discussion, according to sources familiar with the matter. The news department's race and culture division was also involved.

Management concluded that “the problem was Tony’s tone” in the interview, one of the sources said. McMahon and Roark did not say this on the call Monday morning, but emphasized the importance of network standards and the need for “courageous conversations.”

Afterward, some at CBS expressed confusion about the standards violated by the discussion, noting that while it was a heated interview, perhaps it should be given more time than a six-minute morning show segment.

Some employees also questioned the decision to announce the results of the review on October 7, the anniversary of Hamas attacks on Israel.

CBS News senior legal correspondent Jan Crawford commented on the call and defended Dokoupil, saying, “Tony prevented a one-sided report from airing on our network.”

By speaking a series of employee concerns, CBS executives sparked new ones; Two veteran correspondents told CNN on condition of anonymity that they felt the network was giving in to left-wing, anti-Israel political pressure.

Executives said the network would hold an open forum for morning show staff on Tuesday to discuss the matter.