CBS News host clashes with journalist about new book on Israel in tense interview
CBS Mornings anchor Tony Dokoupil pressed author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates on whether he believed Israel had a right to exist in a Monday interview.
CBS News President Wendy McMahon is reportedly weighing an "editorial review" of fairness in the network's journalism following newsroom turmoil over "CBS Mornings" star Tony Dopoukil's testy exchange with anti-Israel author Ta-Nehisi Coates.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that CBS News "is considering an editorial review to further address issues of fairness in reporting," which would be "at McMahon's direction."
"The goal of the review would be to ensure that subjectivity doesn’t seep into reporting, according to a senior executive. How such a review would be implemented is still under discussion," WSJ reported.
The unnamed executive also told WSJ that CBS News is set to launch a probe "to review concerns employees have raised about their personal experiences in the newsroom, including antisemitism, anti-Muslim views, racism and sexism."
CBS News President Wendy McMahon is reportedly mulling an "editorial review" to look into the network's "fairness" in its own reporting. (Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images)
CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Dokoupil, who is Jewish and has children living in Israel, grilled Coates, whose new book "The Message" is critical of Israel.
"The content of that section would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist," Dokoupil told Coates, asking him "Why leave out so much" and "What is it that so particularly offends you about the existence of a Jewish state that is a Jewish safe place?"
What transpired was a spirited conversation between Dokoupil and Coates that, despite its intensity, never boiled over on-air. The same, however, cannot be said inside the network, according to various reports.
Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates was grilled about his views on Israel's right to exist by CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil, in a recent interview. (CBS/Screenshot)
CBS leadership reassured offended staff members that, following a review, they concluded that the interview did not meet the company’s "editorial standards," the Free Press previously reported, which obtained audio of the staff meeting.
While a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Dokoupil would not be punished over the interview, the Jewish anchor was forced to meet with the network’s in-house Race and Culture Unit following complaints.
According to The New York Times, the conversation "focused on Mr. Dokoupil’s tone of voice, phrasing and body language" during the interview.
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CBS News has faced newsroom turmoil following the Dopoukil-Coates interview. (Getty Images)
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Some have rallied in his defense, like CBS News legal correspondent Jan Crawford, who went to bat for him during a staff conference call, and Shari Redstone, chair of CBS News' parent company Paramount Global, who called the network's handling of Dokoupil a "mistake." CBS CEO George Cheeks, however, issued a memo, standing by McMahon's leadership.