Top CBS News executives told staffers in a phone call this morning that a controversial interview CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil had with author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his new book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict did not meet the network's editorial standards.
Ta-Nehisi Coates on the Power of Stories, New Book, "The Message"
But the call, which included Adrienne Roark, chief news and news gathering officer, and Wendy McMahon, president of CBS News and Stations, also drew pushback from others who saw the CBS Mornings interview as a polite exchange that addressed both sides of a divisive issue.
During the internal call, Roark told employees that after reviewing the reporting, “it is clear that at times we did not meet our editorial standards.” She added that the situation “has been addressed and will continue to be addressed going forward.”
“This is a very charged and complex topic, and it was really important for us, for Wendy [McMahon], for me, to have the conversations, to take the time and breathe and reflect and then move forward in a calm and measured manner. I say that because this is much more than one interview, one comment, one story. This is about maintaining the legacy of neutrality and objectivity that is CBS News,” she added.
