by Sharelle Burt
October 1, 2024
Think Ta-Nehisi stood his ground?
CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil is getting the side-eye on social media over some awkward questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict toward author Ta-Nehisi Coates, the Washington Post reports.
Coates appeared on the CBS morning show on Sept. 30 to promote his new book, “The Message,” which showcases Coates’s trip to the Israeli-occupied West Bank and how his experience heightened his criticism of “apartheid” in Israel.
While sitting next to co-hosts Gayle King and Nate Burleson, things took a turn when Dokoupil said that if he didn’t know the book was by Coates, he would think it was by an “extremist.” “If I took your name out of it, took away the awards and the acclaim, took the cover off the book, the publishing house goes away — the content of that section would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist,” Dokoupil said.
Coates immediately defended himself, saying that the passage in his book always comes from the perspective of those who don’t have a voice. “I have asked repeatedly in my interviews whether there is a single network mainstream organization in America with a Palestinian-American viewer chief or correspondent who actually has a voice to articulate their part of the world,” Coates responded.
“I’ve been a reporter for 20 years. The reporters of those who believe more sympathetically about Israel and its right to exist don’t have a problem getting their voice out. But what I saw in Palestine, what I saw in the West Bank, what I saw in Haifa in Israel, what I saw in the South Hebron Hills, those were the stories that I have not heard, and those were the stories I was most occupied with.”
Despite a passionate response, the CBS correspondent continued to push against Coates’ reasoning for not including more arguments from Israel’s perspective — such as mentioning the terrorist attacks that resulted in “the little kids blown to bits.” “What is it that particularly offends you about the existence of a Jewish state that is a Jewish safe place and not any of the other states out there?” Dokoupil asked.
The published author responded by saying it’s not about a Jewish state but more so, “I am offended by the idea of states built on ethnocracy, no matter where they are.”
Social media came to Coates’ defense and said that the morning host forgot for a minute that he is a journalist and took on another role. “Tony Dokoupil stopped being a journalist; became political critic. His mind was made up that Ta-Nehisi Coates was motivated to undermine Israel in his book. Coates kept telling him, his focus was on the decades of oppression on Palestinians. Not professional,” @maynotbejoking said.
Others celebrated the exchange. Since the conversation did not become heated, some social media users highlighted the importance of the exchange. “I see nothing wrong with it. Tony and Ta-Nehisi are obviously friends with great respect for each other. I think we could all learn from both of them as to how to converse on an extremely sensitive subject with a calm but firm resolve,” @gcoln wrote.
“We all get irritated by journalists who ask softball questions; these weren’t.”
According to the Daily Mail, Coates has had his share of controversy regarding his published pieces. His memoir, Between the World and Me, was banned within several South Carolina schools after white students claimed it made them “ashamed” of their race.
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