CBS executives reassured offended staffers that the interview did not meet the company’s “editorial standards,” according to audio obtained by the Free Press.
Lemon responded to the saga on his YouTube show this week, arguing that corporate leaders should not have treated Dokoupil that way and should’ve instead commended the interview as an example of “good journalism.”
“CBS should have responded, saying this is good journalism and this will spark another conversation and this is what we do at CBS News instead of, like, embarrassing their anchor and doing a whole DEI, you know, thing,” Lemon said.
“They could have handled it in the best way. They could have had the conversation out in the open with the very people who were doing it and then others,” he added.
CBS should’ve broadcast an open dialogue about the contentious interview instead, Lemon suggested.
“Why are the inmates running the asylum?” he bluntly asked.
Lemon went on to reiterate that leadership should listen to the complaints while still standing by its anchor.
“[W]hat you do is say, ‘this is great. This is what journalism is supposed to be. It’s not supposed to be perfect.’ Sometimes it’s messy. Conversations are messy and often times in those messy conversations, you come to a consensus. Otherwise, if you’re afraid to have those conversations and you overcensor them, then you get nothing. What’s the point?” Lemon said.
The liberal journalist said he didn’t agree with everything Dokoupil said or what’s written in Coates’ book, but argued journalists should still be allowed to ask tough questions without corporate overreach.
“Stay out of it and let the journalists do the journalism,” he said.
CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Harris’ lengthy “word salad” answer that was aired on the Oct. 6 episode of “Face the Nation” to promote the “60 Minutes” sit-down was edited out of the primetime edition of the show that aired Monday, Oct. 7.
CBS has faced pressure to release the transcript, or unedited video, as many question whether Harris’ widely mocked answer was simply cut for time or removed to help the Democratic presidential nominee.
Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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Comments / 41
Add a Comment
Chas
1h ago
When Don makes fun of you. 😅
Crackwhore Smurf
1h ago
lol the interview was hey there's apartheid jim crow style racism going on in Isreal by its government and the interviewer goes well do you not think an all jewish ethnostate should exist that denies rights to every other race and religion? coates says no that is literally the definition of racism and cbs guy screams terrorism antisemitism
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