CBS News is in turmoil after concerns surrounding the Ta-Nehisi Coates interview were addressed at an internal staff meeting. Israel’s “right to exist.”
Last week, “CBS Mornings” anchor Tony Dokoupil grilled coatAn author and journalist, on the anti-Israel passages in his new book, “The Message,” which describes his trip to “Palestine,” where he sees with devastating clarity how easily we are misled by nationalist narratives and the tragedy that “In the collision between the stories we tell and the reality of life on the ground,” reads the book summary.
Dokopil introduced this section of the book by telling Coates clearly that this is something you would find in a “backpack”. of an extremist,
In an interview Monday, author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates was questioned by CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil about his views on Israel’s right to exist. (CBS/Screenshot)
“I have to say, when I read the book, I think that if I removed your name from it, took away the awards, accolades, took the cover off the book, went to the publishing house, the content of that section would not be the same. Be out of place in the extremist’s bag,” Dokoupil said.
“So then I found myself wondering, why does Ta’Nehisi Coates, who I’ve known for a long time, read his work for a long time, a very talented, smart guy, leave so much behind? Why leave Israel? Given that it is surrounded by countries that want to destroy it, why leave out the fact that Israel is dealing with terrorist groups that want to destroy it? The first and second intifadas, the bus bombings. Why was the explosion, the small children, not explained in detail? Is it because you do not believe that Israel has a right to exist under any circumstances? the CBS anchor continued.
Coates defended the book, saying that he tried to give a voice to the Palestinian people, whose views have been underrepresented in the American media.
The interview angered some CBS News staffers, who felt that Dokoupil put too much pressure on Coats for his anti-Israel stance. The network addressed the internal hysteria at a staff meeting on Monday, which marked the one-year anniversary of the October 7 massacre in Israel. CBS leadership reassured angry staff members that after review, they concluded that the interview did not conform to the company’s “editorial standards”. Free Press reported, In which audio of staff meeting was found.
Ta-Nehisi Coates defends his new book, “The Message,” on CBS Mornings. (CBS News/Screenshot)
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According to the Free Press, Adrienne Roark, who oversees news-gathering at the network, told staffers that covering an event like October 7 “requires empathy, respect and a commitment to the truth”.
Roark reportedly said, “We’ll still ask tough questions. We’ll still hold people accountable. But we’ll do so fairly, which means checking our biases and opinions at the door.”
According to the Free Press, Roark said, “We are here to report the news without fear or favor.” “Too often we fail our audiences and each other. We’re in one of those times right now, and it’s escalating. And we’re at a tipping point. Many of you have heard about the recent reporting. Have reached out to express concern specifically about. cbs morning Coates’ interview last week, as well as comments on the reporting by some of our correspondents.”
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She added, “I want to acknowledge and apologize that this conversation took so long.”
But not everyone at CBS agreed with leadership’s decision to appease its employees.
CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford reportedly defended Dokoupil’s handling of the interview, commenting during the meeting, “I don’t even understand how Tony’s interview failed to meet our editorial standards. ..I felt that our commitment was to the truth. When someone comes on our broadcast with a very one-sided account of a situation – which Coates himself admits he has – it is my understanding that as a journalist We are obliged to challenge that worldview, so that our audiences can have access to the truth and a more balanced account….” Dylan Byers of Puck News Informed him saying this.
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According to Byers, Crawford said, “And that’s what Tony did.” “He challenged Coates’s one-sided worldview, Coates had to respond. It was decent… I don’t see how we can say it failed to meet our editorial standards…. Tony wrote a It is our responsibility, as journalists, to stop the one-sided account being broadcast on our network about an extremely complex situation that is completely devoid of history or fact.”
CBS has not yet responded to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News’ Christine Parks contributed to this report.
