Overview
- On his first regular broadcast on Jan. 5, Tony Dokoupil encountered teleprompter and production errors that caused dead air and confusion over whether to introduce a Mark Kelly or Tim Walz segment, prompting his on‑air remark, “First day, big problems here.”
- Dokoupil’s debut was moved up for a Venezuela special that centered on an extended interview with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, which critics described as unchallenging and heavily reflecting the administration’s view.
- CBS postponed a planned 10‑city “Live From America” tour after the Venezuela coverage, as prior reports of a chartered jet and a sizable security detail drew staff frustration over costs and optics.
- Bari Weiss’s December decision to hold a vetted 60 Minutes investigation into an El Salvador mega‑prison remains a key source of internal dissent over editorial independence and standards.
- The rocky rollout drew widespread online mockery and sharpened scrutiny of whether Weiss’s reset can rebuild trust and reverse the long‑running ratings slide of the network’s third‑place evening newscast.