CBS News has become the latest battleground in the ongoing struggle between traditional journalistic standards and the rising influence of its more left-leaning staff.
This time, the controversy erupted following a tense yet civil interview conducted by “CBS Mornings” co-host Tony Dokoupil with Ta-Nehisi Coates, whose new book critiques Israel. What followed inside the network has exposed the growing friction between CBS’s leadership and its increasingly vocal progressive wing.
During the interview, Dokoupil, who has a personal connection to Israel, didn’t shy away from pressing Coates on his views, questioning why the book seemed to omit certain key perspectives. He pointedly remarked that some of Coates’s commentary could easily be mistaken for extremist rhetoric and asked, “What is it that so particularly offends you about the existence of a Jewish state that is a Jewish safe place?” The interview itself remained calm but intense, a genuine back-and-forth that stayed professional on-air.
However, the fallout behind the scenes was anything but calm. Reports suggest that some CBS staff were deeply upset by Dokoupil’s approach, prompting leadership to review the interview. In a surprising move, CBS leadership admitted to staff that the segment failed to meet the network’s “editorial standards.” Although Dokoupil wasn’t formally disciplined, he was reportedly required to sit down with the network’s Race and Culture Unit to discuss his tone, phrasing, and body language during the interview.
Sources say that the emotional aftermath included tears from staffers during an internal meeting, with one insider describing the scene as “very upset.” Dokoupil even expressed regret over how things played out, reflecting the mounting pressure from his colleagues. Yet, not everyone at CBS agreed with the backlash. Legal correspondent Jan Crawford and Shari Redstone, chair of Paramount Global (CBS’s parent company), defended Dokoupil’s handling of the interview, with Redstone calling the network’s response a “mistake.”
This incident at CBS is just the latest example of the ideological struggles gripping newsrooms across the industry. Earlier this year, NBC News faced its own internal revolt when it announced the hiring of former Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel as a contributor. The backlash from NBC’s liberal talent, especially from its sister network MSNBC, was swift and intense, with prominent figures like Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and Rachel Maddow openly criticizing the move. McDaniel was ousted just four days later in response to the outrage from within.
CNN has also dealt with similar turbulence, notably when it hosted a live town hall with former President Donald Trump. The decision to give Trump a platform sparked outrage among CNN staff and criticism from high-profile anchors like Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour. The backlash was so severe that it eventually led to the departure of then-CNN head Chris Licht, signaling just how deep the internal divisions had become.
Even The New York Times hasn’t been immune to these battles. Back in 2020, the publication faced an internal revolt over an op-ed by Senator Tom Cotton advocating the use of military force during the George Floyd protests. The coordinated staff backlash led to a significant editorial shakeup at the Times, with key figures like James Bennet resigning and the paper ultimately distancing itself from the op-ed under pressure.
These incidents underscore a broader trend in which far-left factions within news organizations are increasingly asserting their influence, often leading to swift reactions or policy reversals by network leadership. What used to be occasional newsroom disagreements have now evolved into full-scale ideological clashes, as traditional journalistic values face off against demands for activism and social justice advocacy from within.
