Shari Redstone Says CBS News ‘Made A Mistake By Rebuking Tony Dokoupil Interview

Memo to CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil: Looks like the boss has your back (at least for now).

Shari Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Paramount Global, in some of her last days in that role, reprimanded executives at CBS News for telling staffers earlier this week that a sharp exchange on “CBS Mornings” between Dokoupil and author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his new book “The Message” had not met the news division’s editorial standards. The segment raised eyebrows both among viewers and internally, because it progressed into a tense back-and-forth as Dokoupil grilled Coates on whether his writing expressed antipathy toward Israel.

“I think we made a mistake,” said Redstone, while speaking at an event that was part of Advertising Week, an industry conference. “I think we made a bad mistake this week.”

More to come