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CBS News host clashes with journalist about new book on Israel in tense interview

CBS Mornings anchor Tony Dokoupil pressed author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates on whether he believed Israel had a right to exist in a Monday interview.

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Anti-Israel critics are slamming CBS News for tapping morning host Tony Dokoupil to anchor "CBS Evening News."

On Wednesday, the Tiffany Network announced that Dokoupil will take over its nightly broadcast on Jan. 5, as current co-anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois are set to leave CBS News.

"We live in a time in which many people have lost trust in the media. Tony Dokoupil is the person to win it back," CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss said in a press release. "That’s because he believes in old school journalistic values: asking the hard questions, following the facts wherever they lead and holding power to account. Americans hungry for fairness will see that on display night after night."

"Tony is what everyone wants in an evening-news anchor – authentic, compassionate, unafraid," CBS News President Tom Cibrowski said. "He connects instantly, whether he’s talking with world leaders or with families navigating difficult news in their own backyards."

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"CBS Mornings" co-host Tony Dokoupil was tapped to be the next anchor for "CBS Evening News" beginning Jan. 5. (Michele Crowe/CBS via Getty Images)

However, Dokoupil's appointment was not met with celebration among pundits outspoken against Israel.

"Pro-Israel guy gets top job from new pro-Israel boss and new pro-Israel owner. Surprise!" former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan, now of Zeteo, reacted to a report that previewed Dokoupil's promotion. MSNBC changed its name officially last month to MS NOW.

"Bari Weiss named Tony Dokoupil the new CBS Evening News anchor. In a wild coincidence, he happens to be the most pro-Israel anchor they have," The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur wrote with a laughing emoji. "Don't worry, you already had the boomer to cadaver vote locked up for Israel. No relevant person cares about CBS Hasbara News anymore."

Dokoupil, who is Jewish, made headlines last year for a contentious exchange he had with liberal darling Ta-Nehisi Coates, who he grilled about his anti-Israel book "The Message."

"The content of that section would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist," Dokoupil told Coates in a September 2024 interview, asking him "why leave out so much" and "What is it that so particularly offends you about the existence of a Jewish state that is a Jewish safe place?"?

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"CBS Mornings" co-anchor Tony Dokoupil irked liberal colleagues last year for grilling anti-Israel author Ta-Nehisi Coates. (CBS/Screenshot)

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The Grayzone News journalist Aaron Maté wrote on X, "He was a lock for the job when he declared that a book discussing Israeli occupation belongs in 'the backpack of an extremist.'"

"It pays to be a shill for Israel and crap on Palestinians," far-left podcast host Wajahat Ali said.

"This is same Tony Dokoupil who slammed Ta-Nehisi Coats on CBS morning show for his book that spoke of Palestinian humanity. This is why Ellison hired Weiss- to feed us right wing propaganda. Turn the channel!" SiriusXM radio host Dean Obeidallah urged his X followers.

CBS News did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Dokoupil's confrontation of Coates sparked internal strife at the network. CBS staffers expressed outrage toward the "CBS Mornings" co-host, who was reprimanded by bosses at the time for allegedly violating "editorial standards."

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While a source familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital that Dokoupil would not be punished over the interview, he was forced to meet with the network’s in-house Race and Culture Unit following complaints. Notably, the Race and Culture Unit was gutted this fall as part of layoffs implemented by David Ellison after taking over CBS News' parent company Paramount.

The New York Post also reportedthat Dokoupil expressed regret to staffers at a meeting, with one network insider describing it, "There were tears. [People were] very upset."

Tony Dokoupil joined CBS' marquee morning program in 2019, previously called "CBS This Morning." (?Michele Crowe/CBS News)

Shari Redstone, who chaired Paramount Global before Ellison's takeover, voiced support for Dokoupil despite the scolding he got from network bosses, saying they "made a mistake here."

"I think Tony did a great job with that interview. I think he handled himself and showed the world and modeled what civil discourse is," Redstone said amid the fallout. "He showed that there was accountability, that there is a system of checks and balances, and frankly, I was very proud of the work that he did."

There has been a revolving door as "CBS Evening News," the perpetual third place newscast behind ABC's "World News Tonight" and "NBC Nightly News," has struggled to find an anchor to permanently lead the program since Dan Rather's scandal-plagued exit from the anchor desk in 2005. While Rather manned the desk for more than two decades, none of his successors have lasted longer than six years, including Katie Couric, Scott Pelley, Jeff Glor and Norah O'Donnell, who stepped down in January 2025 ahead of Dickerson and DuBois' brief stint.

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