The drama at CBS is boiling over once again, this time featuring Gayle King and her network’s handling of a tense interview between Tony Dokoupil and Ta-Nehisi Coates. What started as a routine segment about Coates’ new book The Message quickly turned into a full-blown controversy—one that now has everyone from CBS brass to the network’s parent company questioning just what’s going on with journalistic standards over there.
In the interview, Dokoupil didn’t shy away from challenging Coates’ one-sided narrative, pointing out the glaring omission of an Israeli perspective in the author’s work. Dokoupil, who converted to Judaism and has deep personal ties to Israel, pressed Coates on why he neglected to address Israel’s security challenges. His questions weren’t just tough—they were exactly what you’d expect from a journalist aiming for balance. But that’s where things got messy. Coates accused Dokoupil of “commandeering” the discussion, and apparently, CBS’s leadership took that criticism to heart.
In a response that’s raising eyebrows, CBS News’ leadership reprimanded Dokoupil for bringing “bias” into his interview, with CEO Wendy McMahon claiming he fell short of the network’s standards for impartiality. Really? Since when is asking a guest to address the other side of the story an example of bias? Meanwhile, CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King, who reportedly had some behind-the-scenes conversations with Coates before his appearance, is facing accusations of feeding him specific questions—allegations that would, if true, run afoul of journalistic ethics.
Yet CBS isn’t in a hurry to investigate King’s role. Instead, the network rushed to her defense, praising her preparation and calling pre-interview chats “standard practice.” Sure, it’s standard to do research, but scripting the narrative for a guest? That’s a bit of a stretch, and it’s a far cry from ensuring an unbiased platform for viewers. The double standard here is as glaring as the questions Dokoupil tried to pose to Coates.
WATCH: @BariWeiss breaks down the leaked audio—obtained exclusively by The FP—from a CBS meeting in which their anchor was admonished for questioning Ta-Nehisi Coates on Israel:
“Tony Dokoupil committed the sin of doing real journalism on morning TV.” https://t.co/7Q2WGaQx7O pic.twitter.com/5rF1SVIngb
— The Free Press (@TheFP) October 8, 2024
Adding fuel to the fire is CBS’s handling of the fallout. While Dokoupil is getting publicly chastised, Gayle King remains untouched, shielded by the network’s PR machine. It’s left some inside CBS fuming, with legal analyst Jan Crawford reportedly questioning why holding a guest accountable for a one-sided story somehow falls short of the network’s supposed commitment to truth. As she put it, “I thought our commitment was to truth.” You’ve got to wonder: Is CBS more concerned with staying in the good graces of certain guests than actually pursuing that truth?
CBS News imploding over Tony Dokoupil asking questions of sacred cow Ta-Nehisi Coates is a perfect encapsulation of everything wrong with the legacy media. Trump said on my show yesterday that they’re no longer fake, they’re corrupt. Yep.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 9, 2024
It’s no secret that CBS’s Race and Culture Unit has become a powerful voice within the organization, and some believe that it’s contributed to a shift in how stories get told. What used to be about ensuring fair and objective reporting has increasingly morphed into a balancing act of agendas. Even the higher-ups at Paramount Global are getting involved, with Shari Redstone reportedly siding with Dokoupil’s approach and questioning CBS’s actions. When the network’s own parent company is concerned, you know there’s trouble brewing.
CBS News is facing criticism for a double standard, allowing Gayle King to lecture a hostage’s father about “dying Palestinians” while reprimanding a Jewish anchor for challenging Ta-Nehisi Coates, sparking debate over journalistic fairness. https://t.co/eKqUq1BzGM
— The New York Sun (@NewYorkSun) October 10, 2024
In a effort to calm things down, Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks sent out a memo acknowledging the “strong and growing discord” within CBS News. He promised more dialogue on “perceptions of inconsistent treatment” and “implicit bias.” But for those watching from the outside, the damage is already done. It’s clear there’s a double standard at play—where pressing a guest on their views is only acceptable if it aligns with a certain narrative.
It violates CBS standards for Tony Dokoupil to ask Ta-Nehisi Coates tough questions about his anti-Israel screed but apparently it was totally fine for Gayle King to make accusations to the father of a hostage — who said nothing derogatory about Palestinians, btw. https://t.co/qnPVgmk7XJ
— Lahav Harkov 🎗️ (@LahavHarkov) October 9, 2024
The irony of it all? This entire saga started because Dokoupil was trying to do his job: ask tough questions and push for a fuller account of a complex issue. Yet somehow, the journalist asking for accountability is the one being held to the fire while others skate by. If CBS really wants to prove its commitment to fairness and objectivity, maybe it’s time they take a hard look in the mirror. And that reflection should start with a simple question: Who are they really protecting when they silence those who dare to challenge the narrative?
