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Tony Dokoupil Sets Viewer-First Agenda for CBS Evening News With 10-City Debut Tour

His message highlights a push to regain credibility through a clear promise of independence from political, advertising, corporate pressures.

Overview

  • Dokoupil begins as anchor on Jan. 5 with the first broadcast from San Francisco, kicking off a Live From America tour that runs through Jan. 16 with stops including Denver, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Detroit, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
  • He told viewers in a New Year’s statement, “Don’t just trust me. Make me earn it,” pledging transparency, accountability, and equal standards for all public figures along with the promise, “I report for you.”
  • He vowed to prioritize viewers over advertisers, politicians, and CBS’s corporate owners, with reporting that remains independent of Paramount Skydance leadership including CEO David Ellison.
  • The rollout comes under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss following a tumultuous stretch that included her pulling a 60 Minutes segment shortly before air, a move that sparked internal dissent and outside scrutiny.
  • Reaction to Dokoupil’s message featured visible skepticism on social media and from commentators, as the program enters a relaunch after years in third place and in an era of historically low trust in legacy media.