CBS Evening News Anchor Tony Dokoupil's Chaotic First Week: A Disturbing Omen for Bari Weiss's Vision
The CBS Evening News, once a bastion of fact-based journalism, has taken a dramatic turn under the helm of new anchor Tony Dokoupil. The network's editorial director, Bari Weiss, who hand-picked Dokoupil for the position, should be worried about her own vision for the news division.
Dokoupil's first week as anchor was marked by chaos and disconnection from reality. His grandiose debut, which included a 10-day private jet tour to promote his new ideological era at CBS News, was derailed by the sudden breaking news of Donald Trump's invasion of Venezuela. This unexpected twist revealed Dokoupil's approach to journalism, which seems to prioritize his own perspective over fact-based reporting.
During his first week on the job, Dokoupil attempted to position himself as the main character of the news. He claimed that the press has often missed the story because they've taken into account the perspective of advocates rather than the average American. This statement was echoed in a promotional video, where he declared that the new broadcast would be "more transparent than Cronkite." However, this claim became more revealing as the week wore on.
Legendary CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite was famous for telling viewers what was happening, why it mattered, and who was responsible. Dokoupil's approach has been to become the news himself, and this disconnection between his populist rhetoric and actual reporting has been stark.
Dokoupil's accelerated debut featured a lengthy interview with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that allowed him to define the US military operation in Venezuela as a "law enforcement" action, argue that Congress need not be notified, and discuss American oil interests without confronting the administration's crackdown on the press. This behavior is not neutrality; it's ignoring the administration's attack on journalists while amplifying its talking points.
The anchor's attempts to connect with his audience were also misguided. After attempting a humorous "salute" to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he declared, "Whatever you think of his politics, you've got to admit, it's an impressive résumé." This kind of flattery is not journalism; it's affirmation.
Dokoupil's reporting on the five-year anniversary of January 6 received only 15 seconds of coverage, buried 25 minutes into the show. The incident was reduced to a he-said-he-said between Trump and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries without any video footage or images from the insurrection.
The anchor's reporting on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer being shot and killed in Minneapolis also left much to be desired. Dokoupil offered a garbled 90-second monologue that credited and blamed both sides, calling them "deeply American sentiments."
The ratings bear out the public's skepticism. Dokoupil's official Monday night debut pulled in 4.463 million total viewers and 609,000 in the key 25-54 demographic. However, it is down 22% overall and 24% in the demographic as compared to last year on the same day.
It seems that Dokoupil's name is now in headlines more for his vanity than his journalism. For him and CBS News' new leadership, perhaps that's enough. But for viewers who crave fact-based reporting, this is a worrying omen.
The CBS Evening News, once a bastion of fact-based journalism, has taken a dramatic turn under the helm of new anchor Tony Dokoupil. The network's editorial director, Bari Weiss, who hand-picked Dokoupil for the position, should be worried about her own vision for the news division.
Dokoupil's first week as anchor was marked by chaos and disconnection from reality. His grandiose debut, which included a 10-day private jet tour to promote his new ideological era at CBS News, was derailed by the sudden breaking news of Donald Trump's invasion of Venezuela. This unexpected twist revealed Dokoupil's approach to journalism, which seems to prioritize his own perspective over fact-based reporting.
During his first week on the job, Dokoupil attempted to position himself as the main character of the news. He claimed that the press has often missed the story because they've taken into account the perspective of advocates rather than the average American. This statement was echoed in a promotional video, where he declared that the new broadcast would be "more transparent than Cronkite." However, this claim became more revealing as the week wore on.
Legendary CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite was famous for telling viewers what was happening, why it mattered, and who was responsible. Dokoupil's approach has been to become the news himself, and this disconnection between his populist rhetoric and actual reporting has been stark.
Dokoupil's accelerated debut featured a lengthy interview with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that allowed him to define the US military operation in Venezuela as a "law enforcement" action, argue that Congress need not be notified, and discuss American oil interests without confronting the administration's crackdown on the press. This behavior is not neutrality; it's ignoring the administration's attack on journalists while amplifying its talking points.
The anchor's attempts to connect with his audience were also misguided. After attempting a humorous "salute" to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, he declared, "Whatever you think of his politics, you've got to admit, it's an impressive résumé." This kind of flattery is not journalism; it's affirmation.
Dokoupil's reporting on the five-year anniversary of January 6 received only 15 seconds of coverage, buried 25 minutes into the show. The incident was reduced to a he-said-he-said between Trump and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries without any video footage or images from the insurrection.
The anchor's reporting on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer being shot and killed in Minneapolis also left much to be desired. Dokoupil offered a garbled 90-second monologue that credited and blamed both sides, calling them "deeply American sentiments."
The ratings bear out the public's skepticism. Dokoupil's official Monday night debut pulled in 4.463 million total viewers and 609,000 in the key 25-54 demographic. However, it is down 22% overall and 24% in the demographic as compared to last year on the same day.
It seems that Dokoupil's name is now in headlines more for his vanity than his journalism. For him and CBS News' new leadership, perhaps that's enough. But for viewers who crave fact-based reporting, this is a worrying omen.
dokoupil's first week was straight fire disaster 
he tried to pass off his own ideology as journalism and it backfired big time 
i mean, come on dude, you can't just ignore facts and blame both sides in a shooting case 
that's not reporting, that's just regurgitating talking points 
and don't even get me started on the 10-day private jet tour 
who cares about that stuff when there are real issues to cover? 
anyway, it looks like dokoupil's ratings are tanking and i couldn't be happier 
cbs news needs to get back to basics and stop trying to be some kind of ideological think tank 
it's like they're trying to relive the days of the ol' cronkite era but with more drama and less substance. Dokoupil's attempts to connect with his audience came across as forced and awkward, kinda like those early 2000s reality TV shows where people were just so extra 
not some fancy propaganda piece Dokoupil seems to be peddling. and don't even get me started on the promo video where he's trying to sound like a modern-day crusader 
. That's not journalism, that's basically just regurgitating whatever the powers that be want to hear.
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. Like, dude, no one wants to see you try to do a funny salute or praise some politician's resume for their "impressive" résumé. It feels like he's more interested in being the star of the show than actually reporting on important issues. And don't even get me started on his coverage of January 6th... barely anything? 
. The man's first week was all over the place and it felt like he was more focused on promoting his own ideology than delivering solid journalism 
. His claims of prioritizing fact-based reporting over advocate perspectives just ring hollow when you see him cherry-picking sources that fit his agenda 
. And don't even get me started on the lack of coverage for important events like January 6th and the ICE officer shooting... it's like he's more interested in being a social media influencer than a real journalist 
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. Until then, I'll be keeping an eye on the ratings...and wondering if I'm just stuck in a news cycle that's losing its way