Cook's statement was: "Not white. Not male." That seems to be pretty unambiguously saying "no" to white males.
Affirmative action would be something along the lines of: "We encourage applications from women and ethnic minorities."
Q: Are there particulars attributes or beats you’re looking to fill
A: Not white. Not male.
And I want to add also into the mix another aspect I feel is relevant: we are talking about journalism. In the field of journalism (and writing in general), there is incentive to represent bold and challenging ideas. It is clear that they have the white male perspective covered. From that viewpoint, it seems fair that they would seek to cover their bases with journalists who speak from other cultural backgrounds.
If that is part of his reasoning, I rather agree with the sentiment.