Gayle King has finally broken her silence about CBS Morning co-anchor Tony Dokoupil's explosive interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates and its aftermath, calling it a “learning” opportunity for her staff.
During a panel discussion Tuesday night at the Paley Center in Midtown, King said his show won't “avoid difficult conversations,” but will also be mindful of how it approaches “important issues.” He said it was necessary. According to the Hollywood Reporter.
“Life is hard. News is hard. Sometimes there are tough conversations on TV,” King said in his controversial book, The・Tony Dokoupil spoke about the tough interview he had with Coates regarding “The Message.''
“We know that comes with a lot of responsibility, and we keep that in mind. Certain topics, you know, are just hot button issues. How to ask questions, You have to be very careful about how your questions are received,” King added.
“I don't think we shy away from difficult conversations, so I think this was a learning experience for everyone,” she said.
King appeared on the panel with fellow CBS Morning anchor Nate Burleson and Dokoupil, as well as host Vladimir Dutiers and the show's executive producer Shauna Thomas.
Mr Thomas said there had been a number of “tough” conversations internally and externally about the interview, which had upset some staff members about Mr Dokoupil's line of questioning and Mr Coates' treatment, and that he expected these conversations to continue. He added that
“I think we learned a lot from them,” Thomas said. “I hope these conversations make us better journalists and better listeners.”
During the interview, Mr. Dokoupil asked Mr. Coates several pointed questions about the book, including “Why do you leave out the fact that Israel is surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it?”
He also told Mr Coates: “When I read this book, I imagine that if I took your name out of this book, if I took away the awards and accolades…the contents of that section would still look good in my backpack. ” of extremists. ”
After the interview, CBS News executives addressed staff complaints and held a meeting on Oct. 7, the inauspicious one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. Adrian Roark, CEO and No. 2 at CBS News, called out Dokoupil, who is Jewish, for an interview at the meeting, saying he did not meet the station's editorial standards.
Those words were questioned internally by Dokoupil's supporters who attended the meeting and by Shari Redstone, chairman of CBS parent company Paramount Global, who supported the anchor and said in an interview that she had done a “great job.” was seen. Redstone added that CBS made a “mistake” in reprimanding Dokoupil and saying he did not meet standards.
Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks defended McMahon and supported her decision, but said the company had “substantive conversations” about its perceived bias and “inconsistent treatment.” He also said that it was necessary to do so.
The entire scandal revealed deep tensions within the Tiffany network over staffers' personal views and how it covered the Israel-Hamas war.
Mr. McMahon, who was on Paley's panel, did not speak. The co-hosts of the panel expressed their mutual respect and friendship. Other than briefly answering questions from moderator Lisa Lin, a CBS News contributor, King and Thomas did not say more about Coates' interview.
Dr. King's comments on this matter are noteworthy. That's because the popular anchor remained tight-lipped after a recent interview with Coates, in which he hinted that he was gearing up ahead of his corner.
Speaking on Trevor Noah's podcast, Coates said: “As far as I'm concerned, what went wrong with that interview more than anything else is, I know she's talking a lot right now, so I just want to say this.” Gayle King is a great journalist and a great interviewer. ”
He continued: “And Gail came to the back of the stage before we left.” [on] And she read the book, and I'm not saying she agreed with the book. She was like, “I’m going to ask you about this.” I'll ask you about that. ”
