CBS host Tony Dokoupil says: ‘The press missed the story’
Tony Dokoupil, who starts Monday as anchor of the “CBS Evening News,” spoke on New Year’s Day about where he thinks the press has gone wrong, promising that starting Monday the audience would come first — before advertisers, politicians or corporate interests, including CBS owners Paramount Skydance.
“People don’t trust us like they used to,” he said in a video CBSnews.com and posted on social media.
“On too many stories, the press has missed the story,” he continued, “and it’s not just us. It’s all traditional media. Because we’ve taken into account the perspective of advocates, not the average American. Or we’re putting too much weight on the analysis of academics, or elites, and not enough on you.”
The former CBS Mornings host said he felt like “the most pressing questions were simply not being asked” by today’s TV news journalists.
Despite his long career in news, the incoming anchor’s statement Thursday was notable because it seemed to agree with critics of mainstream media like President Trump, implying that journalists are not doing their jobs competently. In the statement, Dokoupil said he had spoken to people across the country who questioned reporting on topics such as Hilary Clinton’s emails or the president’s fitness for office.
Dokoupil, who previously worked at MSNBC, The Daily Beast and Newsweek and joined CBS in 2016, could have a challenge ahead of him. When mentioned by new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss in the “CBS Evening News” post, VarietyBrian Steinberg wrote: “This job comes with a difficult mission. The program, which has ties to legendary personnel like Walter Cronkite, has for years ranked third behind ABC’s ‘World News Tonight’ and NBC’s ‘NBC Nightly News.’ Dokoupil likely aligns with some of Weiss’s views, such as her pro-Israel stance, Steinberg wrote.
“I’ll report for you,” Dokoupil promised, “which means I’ll tell you what I know, when I know it, and how I know it. And if I’m wrong, I’ll tell you so, too.”
Dokoupil concluded his statement by promising to uphold the truth and asking viewers to hold him accountable: “It also means that I’m going to talk to everyone and hold everyone in public life to the same standards. After all, I became a journalist to talk to people. I like to talk to people about what works in this country, what doesn’t work, and not just what should change, but also about the good ideas that should never change. I think telling the truth is one of them.”
“Hold me to it,” he concluded.
Check out his message below:
