CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil announced a major shift in the network’s approach on New Year’s Day – and it has Democrats screaming mad.
Dokoupil admitted that the mainstream media has lost the public’s trust and promising to prioritize “the average American” over “advocates, academics, and elites.”
Dokoupil, who will take over as lead anchor of CBS Evening News on Monday, January 5, delivered the message in a video posted to X titled “Don’t trust me, make me earn it.”
“A lot has changed since the first person sat in this chair,” Dokoupil said. “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. And I get it. I get it because I’ve been hearing about it from just about everybody for more than 20 years as I’ve traveled America on this assignment or that.”
“On too many stories, the press has missed the story. Because we’ve taken into account the perspective of advocates and not the average American,” Dokoupil said. “Or we put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you.”
“I have felt this way, too. 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.”
“Every time you see me in this chair, you come first. Not advertisers. Not politicians. Not corporate interests. And, yes, that does include the corporate owners of CBS. I report for you.”
"I report for you."
The new CBS Evening News launches on Monday and our new anchor, Tony Dokoupil, is making a promise to viewers: "You come first. Not advertisers. Not politicians. Not corporate interests."
From now on, what you see and hear on the news will reflect what you… pic.twitter.com/WMAjnRI1wv
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 1, 2026
The announcement follows the hiring of Bari Weiss as CBS News’ editor-in-chief, who has shifted the company right
The changes at CBS News follow Paramount Global’s purchase by Skydance Media and come after the network settled a lawsuit with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in which the network edited her responses to help her 2024 election campaign.
Liberals have expressed outrage over the shift of a traditional mainstream media ally.
Neera Tanden, a former Biden administration official, wrote on X, “As the culture moves against MAGA, @bariweiss has moved towards it. Liberals will abandon CBS and the right will still just watch Fox. She will ensure the Ellison money is set on fire.
One user said, “i did not expect this from Tony,” while another added, “This will be true only until your ‘news’ conflicts with what @bariweiss, @CBSNews and Donald Trump and his administration want told IMO.”
Some conservatives critics expressed cautious optimism about the changes.
Curtis Houck of NewsBusters wrote, “I love this. Tony’s track record the last few years has been better than anyone at the big three networks. Step one is admit there’s a problem, so I won’t be trashing it before it even launches (like a lot of you here). If they fail to deliver, I’ll be there to give it back.”