Tony Dokoupil has pledged that his upcoming tenure as anchor of CBS Evening News will prioritize viewers over corporate interests, promising transparency and journalistic integrity in an effort to rebuild public trust in legacy media.
In a video message released Thursday, Dokoupil said that while he sits in the anchor chair, he will report for the audience “not advertisers, not politicians, not corporate interests — and yes, that does include the corporate owners of CBS.”
Dokoupil, a veteran journalist with experience at NBC and MSNBC, will officially begin his role on CBS Evening News on Monday, January 5. He succeeds John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois, both of whom left the anchor role after less than a year.
“A lot has changed since the first person sat in the Evening News chair,” Dokoupil said. “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.” He acknowledged the media’s strained relationship with the public and said the industry has often prioritized the perspectives of elites over everyday Americans.
Dokoupil criticized what he sees as the press’s past failures, saying, “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.”
His appointment was confirmed last month as part of a wave of changes under CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss. Weiss has already drawn internal controversy, including the reported cancellation of a 60 Minutes segment about migrant deportations, which correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi described as a politically motivated decision.
In his message, Dokoupil emphasized his commitment to journalistic independence, saying he became a journalist to engage with people about what works in the country and what needs improvement. “I think telling the truth is one of them. Hold me to it,” he said.
Not all observers were impressed. Former Fox News and NBC host Megyn Kelly reacted skeptically on X, asserting that meaningful change is unlikely at CBS. Regardless, Dokoupil’s debut marks a pivotal moment for the network as it seeks to regain credibility with viewers amid ongoing criticism of mainstream media.
