Maybe you've heard that Ta-Nehisi Coates has a new book out called "The Message" about Israel and the Palestinians. The book is based in part on a 10-day trip to the West Bank that Coates took last year. Critics have said the book presents no history of the conflict and instead presents Palestinians as victims of Israeli racism. Coates' take is so one-sided that the words Hamas and Hezbollah do not appear in his book.

Last week, CBS Morning had Coates on to pitch his new book but something unexpected broke out when CBS journalist Tony Dokoupil said the contents of the book reminded him of extremist rhetoric about Israel and pressed Coates on his completely one-sided account of a longstanding conflict. Here's that portion of the interview.

As you can see, Coates was given a chance to respond and Dokoupil wasn't rude and didn't try to talk over him. But apparently, some people behind the scenes decided that was no way to talk to a moral authority like Ta-Nehisi Coates. So today, on the anniversary of the 10/7 attack, CBS announced that the interview did not meet its editorial standards.

During its editorial meeting on Monday at 9 a.m.—the morning of October 7—the network’s top brass all but apologized for the interview to staff, saying that it did not meet the company’s “editorial standards.” After being introduced by Wendy McMahon, the head of CBS News, Adrienne Roark, who is in charge of news gathering at the network, began her remarks by saying covering a story like October 7 “requires empathy, respect, and a commitment to truth.”...

“We are here to report news without fear or favor,” Roark added. “There are times we fail our audiences and each other. We’re in one of those times right now, and it’s been growing. And we’re at a tipping point. Many of you have reached out to express concerns about recent reporting. Specifically about the CBS Mornings Coates interview last week as well as comments made coming out of some of our correspondents’ reporting. 

“I want to acknowledge and apologize that it’s taken this long to have this conversation." 

In short, the boss threw journalist Tony Dokoupil under the bus and apologized for not apologizing sooner. This is of course pure partisan politics. As the Free Press points out, CBS had no problem with Gayle King making personal comments when George Floyd was killed. 

In the case of King—on the subjects of wokeism, racism, Black Lives Matter, and gun rights—her “lived experience” is an asset to the newsroom. As it should be. But for Dokoupil, his experience as the father of Jewish children who live in Israel, has no place in an interview with an author sharing his cartoonish indictment of the world’s only Jewish state. 

But there was one anchor on the morning call who didn't go along with the herd. CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford asked what Dokoupil had done that didn't meet standards and suggested that if his comments challenging Coates' one-side book were too much then she wasn't sure how any journalist was supposed to do interviews.

Here's Crawford during that call this morning. (🔥) pic.twitter.com/TLyfHMKRFS

— Jim McCarthy (@JMacNYC) October 7, 2024

Good for her. I guess we'll see how CBS responds. Will they apologize to Dokoupil or will they continue to kowtow to the leftist mob demanding he be denounced? 

Update: Here's CBS News' new plan. They are bringing in a DEI/trauma trainer to moderate a conversation with the staff about this topic.

UPDATE: CBS News has invited self-described “mental health expert, DEI strategist and trauma trainer” Dr. Donald Grant to moderate conversation on this issue in an all-staff meeting tomorrow. https://t.co/joG8ixX9MV

— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) October 7, 2024