CBS’ Tony Dokoupil Makes Huge Promises To Viewers
The news division at CBS has undergone massive changes in a short period of time. The changes began in August when the network’s parent company, Paramount Global, merged with Skydance Media. With a new editor-in-chief, CBS News is moving in a new direction.
The CBS Evening News program has a new anchor in Tony Dokoupil. Moreover, he made a huge promise to viewers days before he officially took over. Keep reading to find out more about his controversial promise.
CBS Mornings Host Promoted To Nightly News Anchor
Tony Dokoupil joined CBS as a correspondent in 2016. He was promoted to co-anchor of CBS This Morning in 2019 alongside Gayle King. The show was renamed CBS Mornings in 2021. Nate Burleson joined as a co-host that same year. Bari Weiss took over the CBS News division after the merger and immediately began to make changes.
CBS Evening News anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois both announced in October that they were leaving their posts as co-anchors. They bid viewers goodbye in December. The network tapped Tony Dokoupil to replace them as the sole anchor of the nightly news.
His promotion leaves the future of CBS Mornings in turmoil, especially amid rumors that Gayle King is out when her contract expires in May 2026.
Tony Dokoupil Makes Huge Promises To Viewers
CBS has taken some huge hits in recent years. Paramount Global paid out $16 million to President Trump after a lawsuit about how 60 Minutes edited an interview with Kamala Harris during the 2024 election cycle. The payout came months before the merger.
60 Minutes recently came under fire for scrapping a segment about a Trump administration policy that deported immigrants to a prison in El Salvador. CBS said it would air the segment in the U.S. at a later date, but it was shown in its entirety on the Canadian broadcast.
Tony Dokoupil directly addressed viewers during a speech broadcast on CBS and posted on social media. He made a promise to viewers to restore the public’s faith in the honesty and integrity of CBS’s reporting.
“So here’s my promise to you today and every time you see me in this chair: you come first,” he said.
The CBS Evening News anchor continued:
“A lot has changed since the first person sat in this chair. But for me, the biggest difference is people do not trust us like they used to. And it’s not just us. It’s all of legacy media.”
The anchor vowed to report news that people want to hear. “Too many stories the press has missed the story because we’ve taken into account the perspective of advocates and not the average American. Or we put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites and not enough on you.”
But he said that will change when he takes over as anchor. “I’m Tony Dokoupil, the anchor of The CBS Evening News. Hold me to it,” he told viewers.
Tony Dokoupil takes over as anchor of CBS Evening News on Monday, January 5. He kicks off his stint with a tour across America, visiting Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After the tour, he’ll return to the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City.
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