CBS News journalists have a ‘pre-production process’ to ask questions by the Race and Culture Unit: Report

CBS News host Tony Dokoupil reportedly got in trouble for asking questions during a recent controversial interview that were not approved by the network’s Race and Culture unit.

The saga began last week when Dokoupil interviewed author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his anti-Israel book “The Message,” which in part describes his travels “to Palestine, where he sees with devastating clarity how easily we are misled by nationalist narratives.” The Jewish host of CBS News irritated liberal colleagues by stating outright that it read like something you would find in “an extremist’s backpack,” and pressed Coates on whether he believes Israel has a right to exist.

The backlash was swift, with high-ranking media moguls such as Paramount Global chairman Shari Redstone defending Dokoupil, while some of his own colleagues objected to the interview. Puck media reporter Dylan Byers called it a “fast-metastatic five-alarm s–t show” that has polarized CBS News.

In the same report, Byers noted that CBS journalists are forced to ask questions by the Race and Culture Department.

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“CBS Mornings” host Tony Dokoupil was criticized by CBS News leadership for his interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates. (Getty Images; Screenshot/CBS News)

“Last Tuesday, while CBS News leadership was preoccupied with the network’s vice presidential debate, the issue was elevated to the network’s Race and Culture unit, which was created in the summer of 2020, amid of George Floyd’s reckoning, and determines whether the “tone, content and intent of each segment or package are appropriate for the image of the network,” Byers reported.

“The unit, led by Alvin Patrick, determined that while Dokoupil’s questions and intentions were acceptable, his tone was not,” Byers added. “Meanwhile, the network’s Standards and Practices department, led by Claudia Milne, determined that Dokoupil had not followed the pre-production process in which questions are answered through Race and Culture and Standards and Practices.”

CBS News did not immediately respond when asked whether all journalists should submit questions to the Race and Culture Unit.

A CBS News insider told Fox News Digital that the organization has turned into a “creepy DEI place” in recent years.

The CBS News Race and Culture Unit has “a four-part role at CBS News and Stations as reviewer, incubator, producer and library,” according to the CBS website. The unit sees its primary role as a reviewer to “ensure all stories have the appropriate context, tone and intent.”

CBS News CEO Wendy McMahon “then contacted Dokoupil directly and advised him that the network would need to address the violation with staff,” Byers wrote.

CBS HOST GRILLS TA-NEHISI COATES ON ANTI-ISRAEL VIEWS IN NEW BOOK: IT APPEARS IT CAME FROM AN ‘EXTREMIST’

Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates was asked in an interview last week about his views on Israel’s right to exist by CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil. (CBS/screenshot)

“This particular microdrama had the distinction of hitting several highly charged political and cultural tinderboxes that had been roiling the CBS News staff for months and became especially acute after the Coates interview,” Byers wrote.

“For many of the network’s employees, the episode was the latest example of Dokoupil’s pro-Israel editorial statements. Dokoupil is Jewish, and his ex-wife and children live in Israel, and many criticized him for bringing his personal emotions into reporting.” Byrers continued. “To others, including many of the network’s more experienced journalists, Dokoupil had effectively upheld CBS’ journalistic values ​​by asking tough questions of a guest with an overt anti-Israel bias.”

The New York Times previously reported that Dokoupil ended up dealing with both the CBS News Standards and Practices team and the Race and Culture Unit.

“The conversation focused on Mr. Dokoupil’s tone of voice, phrasing and body language during his interview with Mr. Coates,” the Times reported.

CBS News and Dokoupil did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Fox News Digital.

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Fox News Digital’s Yael Halon contributed to this report.