Friday on “CBS Mornings,” “Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil announced a change in the show’s direction, promising to put viewers first.
Dokoupil said, “The first person sat in this chair. But for me, the biggest difference is that 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, my mom’s neighbors in West Virginia. My own neighbors in New York City. Thousands and thousands of conversations in between. Sometimes people want to talk to me about our coverage of NAFTA or the Iraq War.”
He added, “Other times, it’s all about Hillary Clinton’s emails or Russiagate, or more recently, Covid lockdowns, Hunter Biden’s laptop or the president’s fitness for office. The point is 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. Or we put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites and not enough on you. And I know this because at certain points I have been you. I have felt this way too. I 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.”
He added, “So here’s my promise to you today. And 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. Which means I tell you what I know, when I know it and how I know it, and when I get it wrong, I’ll tell you that, too. It also means I’m going to talk to everybody and hold everyone in public life to the very same standard. After all, I became a journalist to talk to people I love, talking to people about what works in this country, what doesn’t, and not only what should change, but the good ideas that should never change. I think telling the truth is one of them. I’m Tony Dokoupil, the anchor of the ‘CBS Evening News.’ Hold me to it.”
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