Shari Redstone, chairman of CBS's parent company Paramount Global, calls out Tiffany Network over the crackdown on “CBS Morning” co-host Tony Dokoupil following a heated interview about Israel with author Ta-Nehisi Coates. denounced.
Dokoupil clashed with CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon during Monday's staff meeting, accusing him of bringing his “bias” into an interview with Coates, who denounced Israel as an “apartheid” state in his new book “The Message.” He was reprimanded by his deputy, Adrian Roark. ”
In a Sept. 30 interview, Dokoupil said the book “would feel comfortable in an extremist's backpack” and asked Coates whether he thought Israel had a right to exist. .
“Frankly, I think Tony did a great job with that interview,” Redstone said Wednesday at AdWeek's annual conference in Midtown New York. “I was very proud of his work. Yes, it was hard for me to go against this company, but I think they made a mistake here.”
According to leaked audio reported by the Free Press, Rourke, the news division's president of content development, said Dokoupil's interview did not meet CBS News' “editorial standards” for impartiality.
“I want to be clear that I have been working with CEOs,” Redstone added. “I've worked with women who do a lot of diversity training, and I think we all agree that this was not handled correctly and something needs to be done. We all agree on one thing: I don't have editorial control, but I have a voice on our platform, just like all of us.”
CBS News did not respond to a request for comment.
“We're glad there's a wall between ownership and editorial,” said a person close to the network, who claimed Dokopil's bias was also evident in other parts related to the Israel-Hamas war.
These included a Sept. 30 broadcast about Israeli airstrikes and the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in which Dokoupil said, “Israel has tolerated a year of firing lots of rockets.'' If Hezbollah thought it would be affected, it miscalculated.”
Dokoupil is not the only anchor to write an editorial. In May 2020, on a program about a woman who falsely called police to say she was being threatened by a black man in New York City's Central Park, Dr. There is,” he said.
Redstone's comments came a day after Dokoupil met with angry “CBS Morning” staffers in an emotional private meeting led by executive producer Shauna Thomas.
The newspaper reported that Dokoupil “expressed regret” about the situation, but did not “apologize” for the questions he had asked.
People who attended the meeting told the Post that Dokoupil argued with his colleagues but refused to back down, and by the end of the tearful powwow, he had “agreed to disagree.” Ta.
Dokupil convert to Judaism His ex-wife lives in Israel with their two children.during an interview, Coates was asked why he didn't include more pro-Israel voices or “little children” notes in his work. [were] It was blown to pieces in a Palestinian terrorist attack.
Mr. Coates responded that Israel's narrative is well-reported in mainstream American news outlets, with little opportunity for Palestinian voices to be heard.
In the days leading up to Tuesday's meeting, “CBS Morning” staffers complained to network executives about Coates' treatment, which led to McMahon and Rourke's condemnation of Dokoupil's interview, people told the Post. spoke.
free press Posted Audio from Monday's meeting was leaked and included CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford vehemently criticize an executive's comments in front of employees.
“I don't even know what this call-out sounds like, publicly criticizing one of the anchors for not meeting editorial standards,” Crawford said.
“We thought our commitment was true, and as Coates himself has acknowledged, when someone appeared on our broadcast with a one-sided explanation of a very complex situation… , we understand that as journalists we have a duty to challenge that worldview in order to give our viewers access to it: the truth, a fuller account, a more balanced account. And for me, that's what Tony did.”
On Monday, Redstone was furious behind the scenes at executives' handling of the situation, calling their handling of the issue insensitive. The Wall Street Journal reported.
Redstone, who is Jewish, ironically attended Adweek's New York conference to speak about the power of content to combat anti-Semitism and racism.
The heir, who struck a deal to sell his media empire to Skydance earlier this year, joined Jonathan Greenblatt, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, in voicing concerns to McMahon about Dokoupil's treatment, the Post reported. reported on Tuesday.
CBS News had planned to use DEI consultant Dr. Donald Grant to lead Tuesday's discussion with staff.
But Grant's own controversial views were exposed by the Post, including a social media post by a self-proclaimed “mental health expert.” modified cover The face of South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who supports Donald Trump, appears along with several other characters in Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. digitally inserted above the image.
Grant's Instagram post earlier this year changed the title to “Uncle Tim's Cabin” and included an image of conservative commentator Candace Owens.
At the time, CBS News declined to comment on the Post's report on Grant's Instagram. Pack said on Tuesday that the decision to invite Grant was made on short notice amid an uproar that angered critics and Scott's fundraising campaign using Grant's photoshopped book cover. Reported.
Scott: “If we allow the radical, intolerant left to win, the above disgusting rhetoric is exactly what awaits us.'' Post on the fundraising platform Win Red.
