CBS defended Gayle King after she allegedly told guest and controversial author Ta-Nehisi Coates what she was going to ask him before the interview.
The network said King did not warn The Message author about the questions beforehand and had simply been “engaging in a pre-segment conversation” that was “standard practice for any seasoned host.”
King, 69, sat down with Coates and his co-hosts Tony Dokoupi and Nate Burleson on Sept. 30 to discuss the writer’s new book about Palestine during a six-minute segment.
During the interview, Dokoupi – whose two children and ex-wife live in Israel – accused Coates of being an “extremist” and attacked his work which focuses on the voices of Palestinians in the West Bank.
King, who has been with the network since 2012, attempted to smooth over the conversation by giving Coates 20 seconds before the end of the segment to simply talk about the message of his book.
Although King remained silent during the segment, criticism arose after Coates told Trevor Noah on his show that the host approached him before the interview and told him what he wanted to ask.
‘Gayle came backstage before we went, and she had read the book. And I’m not saying I agreed with the book. She was like, “I want to ask you about this, I want to ask you about that,” she told Noah.
King, 69, sat down with The Message author Ta-Nehisi Coates and her co-hosts Tony Dokoupi and Nate Burleson to talk about the writer’s new book about Palestine during a six-minute segment on September 30.
The criticism arose after Coates told Trevor Noah on his show that King approached him before the interview and told him what he wanted to ask.
“Discussing a guest’s work in advance is a common approach to establishing a good relationship,” a spokesperson said in a statement, according to daily beast.
‘Gayle King is one of the most respected journalists in the United States. “She is known for her thorough preparation and note-taking,” the spokesperson said. ‘She reads the books, consumes the content to be discussed and prepares exhaustively for each interview on CBS Mornings.
Dokoupi, who has since apologized to staff for his behavior, was reprimanded by CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon, who said he “did not meet editorial standards for impartiality.”
McMahon and news gathering chief Adrienne Roark were publicly criticized on Wednesday by Paramount global president Shari Redstone, who said a “mistake” had been made and the episode was “not handled properly.”
Redstone also reportedly called Dokoupil to tell him he supported him, but expressed his doubts to Paramount Global co-CEO George Cheeks, according to Disk.
Cheeks defended McMahon on Wednesday, saying she and her leadership team are “passionate advocates and stewards of CBS News standards” and “that will not change.”
During the interview, Tony Dokoupi – whose two children and ex-wife live in Israel – accused Coates of being an “extremist” and attacked his work which focuses on the voices of Palestinians in the West Bank.
King, who has been with the network since 2012, attempted to smooth over the conversation by giving Coates 20 seconds before the end of the segment to simply talk about the message of his book.
“Reasonable minds in a newsroom will lobby and debate appropriately internally to ensure balanced and objective coverage externally,” Cheeks said, according to the Daily Beast.
Sources admitted the network remained deeply divided on the issue after another “tearful” staff meeting on Tuesday, in which Dokoupil addressed colleagues for the first time.
“Tony said he was sorry for putting his colleagues in that position, especially those who are overseas and in danger,” said one of the New York Post.
Dokoupil accused Coates of undermining the country’s right to exist and demanded to know why pro-Israel voices were not included during the September interview.
“The contents of this section would not be out of place in an extremist’s backpack,” he told his guest at the time. ‘Why leave aside the fact that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it? Why leave out the fact that Israel deals with terrorist groups that want to eliminate it?
CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon reprimanded Dokoupil, who she said “did not meet editorial standards for impartiality.”
Paramount Global co-CEO George Cheeks defended McMahon on Wednesday, saying she and her leadership team are “passionate advocates and stewards of CBS News standards” and “that will not change.”
Coates insisted that there was no shortage of pro-Israel voices in the American media and that he was trying to tell “those stories I haven’t heard.”
Since the September interview, King’s controversial interview with father of Hamas hostage has resurfaced.
King interviewed Thomas Hand in November 2023 about the October 7 kidnapping of his eight-year-old daughter, Emily, by Hamas.
In the clip, King asked Hand: ‘Now it seems like this all has to do with politics. What do you say about that? You know, there are innocent Palestinian children who are dying, innocent Israeli children who are dying. And no one seems to be able to say, “Enough, enough.”
Hand laughed nervously and replied: ‘I’m not interested in politics at all. My only concern is getting Emily back.
Since the September interview, King’s controversial interview with the father of a Hamas hostage has resurfaced. In it, he asked: “Now it seems like this all has to do with politics.” What do you say about that? You know, there are innocent Palestinian children who are dying, innocent Israeli children who are dying. And no one seems to be able to say “enough, stop doing that.”
The hostage was returned safely to her family 50 days after being kidnapped during the massacre that killed 1,200 people and sparked the ongoing conflict.
Emily was returned safely to her family a few weeks later, 50 days after being kidnapped during the massacre that killed 1,200 people and sparked the ongoing conflict.
But King’s tough line of questioning, which was backed by his bosses at CBS Mornings, sparked accusations of hypocrisy following Dokoupil’s questioning of Coates.
Jewish Insider correspondent Lahav Harkov said King’s conversation with Hand “violates CBS standards” as much as “Tony Dokoupil…asks tough questions to Ta-Nehisi Coates about his anti-Israel speech.”
“But apparently, it was totally fine for Gayle King to make accusations to a hostage’s father, who didn’t say anything derogatory about Palestinians.”