The interviewer was quite hostile and clearly let his own personal biases shine through way too hard. Already at that point you've reached bad journalism, in my view. Now, I haven't read the book, but from what I understand Coates is critical of the modern-day Apartheid taking place in Israel and the Wests complicity of it, based on a recent visit there. Before even finishing his question the interviewer says "the content would not be out place in the backpack of an extremist", "why not detail the little Israeli kids blown to bits", and the eternal classic "is it because you simply don't believe Israel has a right to exist?". It was not an attempt to better understand the book or Coates' experience - it was an attack on it. You can challenge the material without being a child. It was patently absurd. He stops just short of calling him an antisemite.
If you think this is a case of blue-haired college snowflakes forcing CBS into a statement, then we simply see things differently.
Also, (and I admit this is kind of a smaller point), it was a fecking morning show. Can you imagine that presenter going in that hard on any other guest there to promote their new project? I can't.