CBS News Executives Said That ‘CBS Mornings’ Interview With Ta-Nehisi Coates Did Not Meet Editorial Standards

Top CBS News executives told staffers on a call Monday morning that a contentious interview exchange between CBS Mornings co-anchor Tony Dokoupil and author Ta-Nehisi Coates over Coates’ book that delves into the Israel-Palestinian conflict did not meet the network’s editorial standards.

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But the call, which featured Adrienne Roark, the president of editorial and newsgathering, and Wendy McMahon, president of CBS News and Stations, drew some pushback by others who saw the CBS Mornings conversation as a civil conversation that captured both sides of a divisive issue.

In the internal call, Roark told staffers that after a review of the coverage “it’s clear there are times we have not met our editorial standards.” She added that the situation “has been addressed, and it will continue to be in the future.”

“This is a highly charged and complex issue, and it was really important for us, for Wendy [McMahon], for me, to have the conversations, to take the time and the breath and think and then proceed in a calm and measured way. I say that because this goes way beyond one interview, one comment, one story. This is about preserving the legacy of neutrality and objectivity that is CBS News,” she added.

CBS News has not commented beyond the call, a recording of which was posted on Free Press, the website led by Bari Weiss, a former op-ed columnist for the New York Times who has been a staunch supporter of Israel. Puck first reported on the internal call.

The interview last week grew tense at times, as Dokoupil challenged Coates’ premise and views. In the book, The Message , a collection of essays that includes a section on his trip to the Middle East, in which he is critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

Dokoupil said at the start of the interview that the book “would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist.”

“Why leave out that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it?” said Dokoupil, who was joined by co-hosts Gayle King and Nate Burleson.

“Why not detail anything of the First and the Second Intifada, the café bombings, the bus bombings, the little kids blown to bits? And is it because you just don’t believe that Israel in any condition has a right to exist?”

Coates answered, “There is no shortage of that perspective in American media. That’s the first thing I would say. I am most concerned always with those who don’t have a voice, with those who don’t have the ability to talk.”

Later, Dokoupil said, “What is it that so particularly offends you about the existence of a Jewish state that is a Jewish safe place, and not any of the other states out there?”

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“There is nothing that offends me about the idea of a Jewish state. I am offended by the idea of states built on ethno-cracy no matter where they are,” he replied.

“Muslim included,” Dokoupil said.

“I would not want a state where any group of people laid down their citizenship rights based on ethnicity,” Coates replied.

In the call, Roark said, “We must conduct ourselves in ways that avoid raising any questions about our journalistic independence or integrity. We must still ask tough questions. We will still hold people accountable. That’s part of our job too. But we will do so objectively. That means we have to check our bias and opinions at the door.”

Dokoupil’s ex-wife and two children live in Israel, and he has shared his experience and worry during the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel last year. On CBS Mornings last year, he said, “I come to this fairly as a journalist, but I’m also a father.” He added that “you can’t separate those two at a certain point.” In the wake of the attack on Israeli civilians, he also said that he was “heartbroken for the innocent people who are in Gaza and their children and what will happen to them in the days ahead.”

After the Coates interview aired, it was quickly criticized on social media, and Roark indicated in the internal call that staffers also expressed their concerns.

But during the internal call, one correspondent, Jan Crawford, said, “It sounds like we are calling out one of our anchors in a somewhat public setting on this call for failing to meet editorial standards for I am not even sure what.”

She added, “When someone comes on our air with a one-sided account of a very complex situation, as Coates himself acknowledges that he has, 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.”

Roark said on the call that she would meet with CBS Mornings staffers on Tuesday.

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