Piers Morgan:
“Journalism,” said legendary CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite, “is what we need to make democracy work. In seeking truth, you have to get both sides of a story.”
Now, you might think this is a statement so self-evident that Mr. Cronkite should have been given the Award for the Bleeding Obvious to add to his vast trophy cabinet for being the greatest journalist in American history.
But it now seems such a mindset is the opposite philosophy, at least to the people who run CBS News.
Last week, I watched a surprisingly lively interview with controversial author Ta-Nehisi Coates on “CBS Mornings,” conducted predominantly by one of the three anchors that day, Tony Dokoupil.
Unlike most morning show chats, this was a feisty grilling.
Coates has written an unashamedly pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel new book, and Dokoupil, a Jewish man, challenged him about its very obvious bias.
It was an insightful debate, with Dokoupil going unusually hard in his questioning for that time of day, suggesting that Coates sounded like an extremist at times in the book, and the interviewee giving as good as he got.
But it never got out of control, nor felt uncomfortable, and Dokoupil was respectful throughout, albeit determined to make Coates explain himself as to why he hadn’t tried to balance the book with more arguments from Israel’s viewpoint — citing “the little kids blown to bits” in terrorist attacks and the fact that Israel is “surrounded by countries that want to eliminate it.”
He then asked directly: “Is it because you just don’t believe that Israel, in any condition, has a right to exist?”
Coates responded that Israel’s side of the story gets lots of media coverage, and so he wanted to elevate Palestinian views.
In other words, he deliberately chose to write a one-sided book, and Dokoupil was therefore absolutely right to provide some much-needed balance.
In fact, it would have been a dereliction of his journalistic duty if he hadn’t, and an abandonment of Cronkite’s maxim about journalism. …. [Much more at the link]
Naturally, CBS executives and their fake reporters went nuts, with a predictable result:
A top CBS News executive said in a staff meeting on Monday that morning show co-host Tony Dokoupil did not uphold the network’s editorial standards when he grilled author Ta-Nehisi Coates during a Sept. 30 interview.
During the interview, Dokoupil confronted Coates right from the start and questioned the credibility of the award-winning author’s new book, “The Message,” which he said “delegitimizes the pillars of Israel” and could have been written by an “extremist.” (Coates writes about his visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and delves into how this experience has informed his criticism of “apartheid” in Israel.)
During the all-staff meeting on Monday morning, CBS News executive Adrienne Roark said an internal review determined that the interview was not in line with the network’s commitment to neutrality. She added that the matter has been “addressed” internally, without providing any specifics.
“We all must conduct ourselves in a way that avoids raising any questions about our journalistic independence and integrity,” said Roark, who did not mention Dokoupil by name. “We have to check our biases at the door.”
Roark’s sentiment was seconded by Wendy McMahon, the executive ultimately in charge of the network, according to an employee who listened to the call and spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
One of the few journalists remaining at the network had the temerity to speak out:
In a moment that surprised CBS News employees, chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford pushed back on Roark and argued that the interview upheld the network’s journalistic purpose and mission. While network morning shows are normally geared toward lighter fare that is more palatable to a daybreak audience, “CBS Mornings” has distinguished itself by being more news-heavy.
“I thought our commitment was to truth,” Crawford said, according to an audio recording of the meeting published by the Free Press. “And when someone comes on our air with a one-sided account of a very complex situation, as Coates himself acknowledges that he has, it’s my understanding that as journalists we are obligated to challenge that worldview so that our viewers can have that access to the truth or a fuller account, a more balanced account. And, to me, that is what Tony did.”
The response of the swarm was exactly what you’d expect:
After Crawford’s comments, many CBS News employees who attended via Zoom turned off their video cameras, the employee on the call said.
Then, a mewling, self-abasing apology being deemed insufficient atonement, CBS went further:
