The new anchor of “CBS Evening News” told viewers Thursday that he agrees with critics who say the media do not always reflect reality and pledged to be more transparent as he takes over the network’s flagship newscast.
Tony Dokoupil, who joined CBS News in 2016 after stops at MSNBC, Newsweek, and The Daily Beast, said in messages posted on social media and the network’s website that viewers would be his priority and urged audiences to hold him accountable.
“A lot has changed since the first person sat in the ‘Evening News’ chair,” said Dokoupil, who is set to begin his tenure Monday. “For me, the biggest difference is this: people don’t trust us like they used to.
“And it’s not just us. It’s all legacy media.
“I get it. I’ve been hearing about it from just about everybody, for more than 20 years, as I’ve traveled America on assignment. My mom’s neighbors in West Virginia. My own neighbors in New York City. Thousands of conversations in between.
“The point is that on too many stories the press 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.”
A Gallup Poll released in October found Americans’ confidence in the mass media had fallen to a record low. Just 28% said they had a “great deal” or “fair amount” of trust in newspapers, TV, and radio to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly, down from 31% in 2024 and 40% five years earlier.
Meanwhile, 70% said they had “not very much” confidence (36%) or “none at all” (34%).
Dokoupil’s remarks came as CBS News undergoes significant changes under Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, who joined the network following Paramount Skydance’s acquisition of her outlet, The Free Press, for a reported $150 million.
Weiss announced in December that Dokoupil would move from the network’s morning program to anchor “CBS Evening News.”
Weiss drew criticism for pulling a segment expected to air on “60 Minutes” about the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador, known as CECOT, where the Trump administration has deported hundreds of illegal aliens with alleged gang ties or links to criminal activity.
Weiss said the segment was not ready to air and would run after further reporting. Critics suggested the decision was politically motivated.
Dokoupil also sought to connect with viewers by sharing his own frustration with news coverage.
“I have felt like what I was seeing and hearing on the news didn’t reflect what I was seeing and hearing in my own life. And that the most urgent questions simply weren’t being asked,” he said.
“So here’s my promise to you as long as I sit in this chair: you come first,” Dokoupil said. “Not advertisers. Not politicians. Not corporate interests. And, yes, that does include the corporate owners of CBS.
“Which means I tell you what I know, when I know it and how I know it. And when I get it wrong, I’ll tell you that too.
“It also means I’m going to talk to everybody and hold everyone in public life to the same standard. And because I became a journalist to talk to people. I love talking to people about what works in this country, what doesn’t, and not only what should change, but the good ideas that never should.
“I think telling the truth is one of them.”
