A Peek Behind the Curtain at CBS Reveals Journalism in a Death Spiral

If you’re wondering why trust in media recently hit an all-time low, look no further than the Ta-Nehisi Coates flap at CBS.

The Free Press has been all over the shabby and unprofessional treatment CBS News has exhibited toward “CBS This Morning” co-host Tony Dokoupil, who committed the crime of asking author Ta-Nehisi Coates pointed questions on Israel.

CBS admitted it was wrong to reprimand Dokoupil , whom they accused of failing “to met editorial standards.” Nevertheless, the fallout continues.

The Free Press reports that efforts to bring in a self-described “mental health expert, DEI strategist, and trauma trainer” to moderate discussions in the wake of the episode fell through when it was revealed his Instagram was filled with racist language (he reportedly referred to South Carolina senator Tim Scott as “Uncle Tim”) and claims that Trump voters supported genocide.

The Free Press also reported that powerful people at the network are unhappy with the treatment toward Dokoupil.

“…Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of CBS’s parent company Paramount Global—at least until its merger with Skydance goes through some time next year—is not happy. A source close to Redstone told The Free Press that Redstone thought that “Tony gave a great interview and modeled what civil discourse should look like. And she disagreed with the action the company took. She’s working with the CEOs to address this issue.”

This sounds like a newsroom without clear leadership, but the story gets much worse.

According to Coates, who was doing media again this week, Gayle King approached him backstage prior to his interview and presented him with the questions he was going to be asked.

“Gayle King is a great journalist and a great interviewer. And Gayle came behind the stage before we went [on] and she had gone through the book, and I’m not saying she agreed with the book. She was like, ‘I’m gonna ask you about this. I’m gonna ask you about that.'”

This goes against the traditional ethics of journalism, something a former CBS journalist admitted to the Free Press.

“If [King] was showing him specific lines of questioning in advance, that would violate journalistic standards. Now are they going to investigate her and say that what she did was not in keeping with CBS standards? I suspect not.”

Astonishingly, CBS News decided to reprimand the journalist who did not give his interview subject the questions ahead of time. But it gets even worse. According to staffers present who spoke to the Free Press, the meeting that eventually took place was a disaster that should embarrass anyone who has ever worked in a newsroom.

One source familiar with the proceedings suggested it was a “shit show,” with various employees “yelling.” Shawna Thomas, the show’s executive producer, was in tears. So was Dokoupil.

This sounds reminiscent of the struggle session-like dysfunction at New York Times that drove Free Press-co-founder Bari Weiss from the newspaper.

If you’re wondering why trust in media recently hit an all-time low in America, according to a recent Gallup survey, look no further than the CBS newsroom, which seems void of a lack of basic professionalism, in addition to courage.

Indeed, even the “hero” of the story, Dokoupil, initially apologized to save his skin and was apparently reduced to tears in the aftermath. I don’t want to sound callous, but there’s something unseemly about a grown man crying and apologizing (when he should not be) over a newsroom flap.

I take no joy in these observations. A former newspaper reporter myself, I understand the importance of journalism and have a deep appreciation for journalists who made the profession something special.

But the sad truth is corporate media is a disaster; and those who say we can’t scorn legacy media enough have a point.