US: Social media users slam 'interrogation' of Ta-Nehisi Coates over Palestine
The host of a US TV show is facing backlash after suggesting that author and public intellectual Ta-Nehisi Coates espoused "extremist" views in his writing about Palestinians.
Social media users accused CBS Mornings co-host Tony Dokoupil of unprofessionalism and bias for his interview on Monday with Coates about his latest book, The Message, a collection of three essays about the author's experiences in Senegal, the American South and Palestine.
After a brief introduction, Dokoupil said he wanted to discuss the section about Israel and Palestine, stating: "When I read the book, I imagine 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."
He went on to accuse Coates of leaving out "so much" about the Israeli perspective and said his writing on the Israel-Palestine conflict "de-legitimises the pillars of Israel".
New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch
Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters
He later added: "And if your answer is no, then I guess the question becomes why do the Palestinians have a right to exist? Why do 20 different Muslim countries have a right to exist?"
CBS's @tonydokoupil interrogates Ta-Nehisi Coates on his new book on what's rarely a combative show. He does so by ignoring the book's particulars, instead using charged, hackneyed language to frame the narrative, e.g. "extremist."
— Arif Rafiq (@ArifCRafiq) September 30, 2024
Coates responds smartly by affirming his msg. https://t.co/u4KYOhiFGq
Coates replied that he wanted to highlight a perspective not seen in mainstream US coverage about Israel and Palestine.
"There's nothing that offends me about a Jewish state. I am offended by the idea of states built on ethnocracy, no matter where they are. I would not want a state where any group of people lay down their citizenship rights based on ethnicity," he said later in the interview.
"The country of Israel is a state in which half the population exist on one tier of citizenship and everybody else that's ruled by Israel exist on another tier, including Palestinian Israeli citizens," he continued.
"Either apartheid is right or it's wrong. It's really, really simple."
Middle East Eye has reached out to Coates and Dokoupil for comment.
'Clear example of journalistic malpractice'
Many social media users criticised the line of questioning thrown at Coates, calling it "hostile" and an "interrogation" but praised the writer's way of handling the interview.
"He called Professor Coates, one of the most celebrated & accomplished thinkers of our time, an 'extremist,' because his book dares to center Palestinian humanity," Pakistani-American author and human rights lawyer Qasim Rashid wrote in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Ta-Nehisi Coates responds gracefully to a cynical interviewer who tells him that his book belongs 'in the backpack of an extremist' because Coates is opposed to the genocidal apartheid regime inflicting unending harm upon Palestinians and their right to life," another user wrote.
notice how the interviewer ignores the moral question and hides behind political “complexity.”
— Ali A Olomi (@aaolomi) October 1, 2024
notice too how Palestinian’s desire for freedom and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ sympathy for that is overtly linked to “extremism.”
Other users argued that Dokoupil's rhetoric represented the typical treatment of public figures and journalists who have spoken against Israel's occupation and mistreatment of Palestinians.
"Among the many reasons that this segment will likely live in infamy as a clear example of open Islamophobic racism and journalistic malpractice from @CBSNews," wrote journalist Heidi Moore.
"A truly disgraceful, embarrassing year for journalism in which we have seen how many of our colleagues are pro-apartheid, pro-genocide, and racist in ways they kept hidden."
A truly disgraceful, embarrassing year for journalism in which we have seen how many of our colleagues are pro-apartheid, pro-genocide, and racist in ways they kept hidden. It's impossible not to ask how these hateful anti-Arab and Islamophobic views have compromised their…
— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) September 30, 2024
"Coates faces the same attacks in this clip as every journalist who has tried to speak about the occupation and apartheid; you love terrorism, you hate Jews. It's moving to watch a man who has witnessed the truth refuse to buckle," one user wrote.
"Why didn't you explain that actually the Palestinians are the ones responsible for their own apartheid is a weird argument," another commented.
Imagine being so indoctrinated by propaganda, bias & anti-Palestinian racism that you waste everyone’s time defending your own insecure worldview justifying apartheid during a live national broadcast with race scholar Ta-Nehisi Coates like anchor @tonydokoupil.
— Nadia Rahman 駱雯 (@nadiarahmansf) September 30, 2024
Some called for the removal of Dokoupil from his role, or for him to issue an apology to Coates.
Users also expressed an increased interest in purchasing the book after the interview as a show of support for Coates' work on the Palestinian cause.
"This certainly made it likelier that I'll buy the book. Come to think of it, I'll also get copies for both my daughters," one user wrote.
"The worm has turned on the story of Israeli victimhood. Everyone can see which side is killing thousands upon thousands of defenseless people, and media propagandists can no longer explain it away."
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.
