CBS Mornings co-host King Gayle is facing new allegations of journalistic malfeasance amid uproar over the network's response to Tony Dokoupil's tense interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates.
The pro-Palestine activist was discussing his new release, The Message, on Monday when Dokoupil – who converted to Judaism and whose ex-wife and children live in Israel – accused Coates of being an 'extremist' and criticized it for not including an Israeli perspective.
Coates has since accused the journalist of 'requesting' the interview, while praising King as a 'great journalist and a great interviewer' in a preview of an upcoming interview with Trevor Noah, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
But he then stated: 'Gayle came back stage before we went [on] and she read the book, and I'm not saying she agreed with the book.
'[Yet] She said, 'I'll ask you about it. I'll ask you about it.'
CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King accused of journalistic malfeasance
The allegations come amid uproar over the network's response to Tony Dokoupil's tense interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates
If she did, in fact, feed into specific lines of questioning of Coates, King would have violated the network's journalistic standards, a former CBS reporter told Free Press.
“Now they're going to investigate her and say what she did wasn't up to CBS standards?” asked the former journalist. “I suspect not.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to King's agent for comment.
But the claim comes amid turmoil within the network over the controversial interview, for which Dokoupil was reprimanded after he accused Coates of undermining Israel's right to exist and demanded to know why no pro-Israel voices were included.
“The contents of this section would not look out of place in an extremist’s backpack,” the journalist said at one point to his guest.
'Why leave out that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it? Why leave out that Israel deals with terrorist groups that want to eliminate it?'
Coates insisted that there was no shortage of pro-Israel voices in the US media and that he was trying to tell “those stories that I haven’t heard.”
Still, Dokoupil doubled down, claiming that people who read The Message will end up believing that Israel is a horrible place that shouldn't exist.
Dokoupil – whose two children and ex-wife live in Israel – was quick to criticize the author
“What I've struggled with throughout this book is what offends you so particularly about the existence of a Jewish state that is a safe place for Jews, and not any other state out there,” he asked.
Coates appeared on CBS Mornings to discuss his new book 'The Message' – a collection of essays, including one about his visit to Palestine
'If Israel has a right to exist, and if your answer is no, then I think the question is: why do Palestinians have a right to exist?
'Why do 20 different Muslim countries have the right to exist?'
Coates responded: “There is nothing that offends me in a Jewish state. I am offended by the idea of states built on ethnocracy, no matter where they are.
“I would not like a state where any group of people establishes their citizenship rights based on ethnicity. Either apartheid is right or it is wrong. It's very, very simple.
'I am against a state that discriminates against people based on ethnicity.'
During the six-minute conversation, King and co-host Nate Burleson remained in shocked silence.
Coates defended his book by saying his goal is to give a voice to the voiceless
In the aftermath, network bosses criticized the CBS morning host for bringing his “bias” to the screen.
CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon reportedly stated that it “did not meet editorial standards for impartiality.”
PContent development resident Adrienne Roark also rallied staff to pull Dokoupil over the coals.
“We will still hold people accountable,” Roark said. “But we will do this objectively, which means checking our biases and opinions at the door.”
She said the interview did not “meet our editorial standards,” adding that “it has been addressed and will continue to be in the future.”
Network sources now claim that the issue arose with CBS' Race and Culture Unit, which works “in conjunction with the CBS News Standards and Ethics Department to ensure all stories have the appropriate context, tone and intent,” according to the company's website.
It was formed in the summer of 2020 amid nationwide protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd.
“We must always be aware of how race and culture impact our journalism — and in terms of the future of CBS News, this unit will be as important as Standards and Practices,” news division president Susan Zirinsky said at the time. in accordance with the Deadline.
“These broad, subjective criteria made them a very powerful voice, and many employees believe it allowed greater bias to infiltrate the network's editorial decisions,” a source told The Free Press.
“You see prejudice when it's something you don't agree with.”
CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon (pictured) and Adrienne Roark, president of content development for the news division, believe Dokoupil failed to cover up his own bias
But some employees were furious about Dokoupil's treatment, with Jan Crawford, the network's legal analyst, criticizing the network's executives.
“I don't even understand how Tony's interview didn't meet our editorial standards… I thought we were committed to the truth,” Crawford said in a meeting on Tuesday, when Dokoupil reportedly admitted “regret” over the interview.
“It feels like we are calling out one of our anchors in a somewhat public setting on this call for not meeting editorial standards, I’m not even sure what,” she said.
'I thought our commitment was to the truth.
“And when someone comes on our air with a one-sided account of a very complex situation, as Coates himself acknowledges he did, I understand that as journalists we are obligated to challenge that worldview so that our viewers can access the truth or a more complete account, a more balanced account.
“And to me, that's what Tony did.”
Shari Redstone, controlling shareholder of CBS parent Paramount Global (until its merger with Skydance next year), is also reportedly disturbed by CBS' actions.
A source close to Redstone told The Free Press that she thought 'Tony gave a great interview and modeled what civil discourse should look like.
'And she disagreed with the measures taken by the company. She is working with the CEO to resolve this issue.
Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks sent a memo to employees on Wednesday saying the company needs to have a “substantive dialogue” about perceptions of bias and “inconsistent treatment.”
Finally, on Wednesday, Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks sent a memo to employees saying the company needs to have a “substantive dialogue” about perceptions of bias and “inconsistent treatment.”
“There has been strong and growing discord within CBS News that needed to be addressed in an editorial meeting,” he admitted in the memo, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
'This should lead to a more substantive dialogue about perceptions of inconsistent treatment, implicit bias and the important standards our News Division has in place to establish barriers of fairness and objectivity.
'To be clear, this was never about CBS News' right to ask the tough question[s]that is and always will be the standard,” Cheeks continued.
“Our hosts and correspondents will continue to ask the toughest questions about the most important and complex issues.”
Cheeks went on to say that he is “incredibly proud of CBS News and the way they are rising to the occasion, even in the most challenging of times.”
'We all move forward from this moment – myself included – committed to reflection, improving the process and doubling down on serving the public when the need for accurate, unbiased news presented in the proper context has never been more important.'
