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 was simply “engaging in pre-segment conversation” that was “standard practice for any experienced host.”
King, 69, sat down with Coates and his co-hosts Tony Dokoupi and Nate Burleson on September 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, tried to sweeten the conversation by giving Coates 20 seconds before the end of the segment to simply talk about the message of his book.
Despite the fact that King was silent during the segment, criticism arose after Coates told Trevor Noah on his show that the anchor approached him before the interview and told him what she wanted to ask.
'Gayle came back stage before we went and she read the book. And I'm not saying she agreed with the book. She said, 'I want to ask you about this, I want to ask you about that,'” he told Noah.
King, 69, sat down with The Message author Ta-Nehisi Coates and his co-hosts Tony Dokoupi and Nate Burleson to discuss the writer's new book about Palestine during a six-minute segment on September 30.
The criticism came after Coates told Trevor Noah on his show that King approached him before the interview and told him what she wanted to ask.
“Discussing a guest's work in advance is a common approach to establishing rapport,” a spokesperson said in a statement, according to Daily Beast.
'Gayle King is one of America's most respected journalists. She is known for her thorough preparation and taking notes,” the spokesperson said. 'She reads the books, consumes the content that will be discussed, and prepares extensively 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 newsgathering chief Adrienne Roark were publicly criticized on Wednesday by Paramount global president Shari Redstone, who said a “mistake” was made and the episode was “not handled correctly.”
Redstone also reportedly called Dokoupil to say he supported him, but expressed his doubts to Paramount Global co-CEO George Cheeks, according to Disco.
Cheeks defended McMahon on Wednesday, saying she and her leadership team are “passionate defenders 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, tried to sweeten 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 pressure test and debate appropriately internally to ensure balanced and objective external coverage,” 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 his colleagues for the first time.
“Tony said he regretted putting his colleagues in that position, especially those overseas who were in danger,” one of them told 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 look out of place in an extremist’s backpack,” he told his guest at the time. '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?'
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 defenders and stewards of CBS News' standards' and 'that will not change'
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.”
Since the September interview, King's controversial interview with the father of a 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.
The clip showed King asking Hand: 'Now this seems to be all about 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 it.”
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, she asked: 'Now everything seems to be a matter of 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 it.”'
The hostage was safely returned to her family 50 days after she was kidnapped during the massacre that killed 1,200 people and sparked the ongoing conflict.
Emily was safely returned to her family a few weeks later, 50 days after she was kidnapped during the massacre that killed 1,200 people and sparked the ongoing conflict.
But King's tough line of questioning — which was supported by his bosses at CBS Mornings — sparked allegations of hypocrisy following Dokoupil's cross-examination of Coates.
Jewish Insider correspondent Lahav Harkov said King's conversation with Hand 'violates CBS standards' as much as 'Tony Dokoupil…ask[ing] Ta-Nehisi Coates asks tough questions about his anti-Israel speech.
'But apparently it was completely acceptable for Gayle King to make accusations against a hostage's father – who said nothing derogatory about Palestinians.'
