Gayle King says: ‘Sometimes you have difficult conversations on TV’ after Ta-Nehisi Coates interview controversy

Earlier this month Ta-Nehisi Coates appeared on “CBS Mornings” hosted by Gayle King, Nate Burleson and Tony Dokoupil to debate his latest book, “The Message,” which delves into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Shortly after airing, the interview went viral, sparking discussion amongst social media users across the country. While some argued about Coates’ perspective on the continuing international conflict, others debated the morning show hosts’ approach to the conversation; particularly Tony Dokoupil, who largely led the discussion and talked to Coates about a few of his ideas.

Among the debaters were CBS News executives Adrienne Roark and Wendy McMahon, who he reportedly told staff that the interview didn’t meet “editorial standards.” Meanwhile, Shari Redstone, president of Paramount Global, argued that the corporate made a “mistake” by reprimanding employees for the interview, and added that Dokoupil did a “great job.”

But King, who had a front-row seat through the interview, ultimately sees the Coates controversy as a learning experience.

“Life is difficult. The news is difficult. Sometimes you have difficult conversations on TV,” King said Hollywood reporter. “We know this comes with a lot of responsibility. And we keep that in mind. You know, some topics are just hot topics. You have to be very careful about how you ask questions and (and) how questions are received. I think we are not afraid of difficult conversations either. So I think it was a learning experience for everyone.”

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While the organization should proceed to work to avoid exposing bias and “inconsistent treatment,” as Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks noted, there could also be some truth to King’s statement. Over the years, distrust and discord have grown between public organizations and the media. According to Pew Research Centerbetween 2016 and 2022, the share of U.S. adults closely following the news declined significantly. This decline might be partially explained one other examination which found that a lot of Americans disagree with news organizations’ lack of transparency regarding conflicts of interest, citing sources and disclosing whether a story relies on fact or opinion.

Just as King advocates for “difficult conversations” within the media, Coates shares an identical sentiment. Appearing in “Democracy Now” – the writer and journalist revealed that he was not surprised by the confrontation, given the subject of his book.

“I believe there may be a meta-conversation going on here where we find yourself because we’re the media; where we end the discussion in regards to the media and media policy. But I believe broadening the framework is actually vital,” he said. “I have no problem giving a difficult interview… The query I would love to ask is how often on CBS, NBC, ABC or any major news organization do you see someone who’s a defender of the Israeli state project being confronted in this fashion and being given a difficult interview in this fashion?” interview?”