“We are witnessing history and what can only be described as a national disgrace.”
That was anchor Norah O’Donnell kicking off the January 6, 2021 edition of the “CBS Evening News,” in which she described how the “US Capitol is under lockdown after violent mobs stoked and encouraged by the words of President Trump and his allies stormed the building.”
The anti-democratic violence that played live on television and social media, has been extensively chronicled in videos and written accounts, and thoroughly investigated by a bipartisan House committee. So it’s incumbent on journalists to be clear, five years later, about what transpired that tragic day, and how a pro-Trump mob tried to disrupt the peaceful transition of power following their candidate’s defeat to Joe Biden. Such framing is especially critical as the Trump White House brazenly tries to rewrite history by blaming Democrats for the insurrection.
But the new “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil failed to do that on Tuesday’s broadcast, in which he took a both-sides approach to marking the grim anniversary.
“President Trump accused Democrats of failing to prevent the attack on the Capitol,” he said, “while House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries accused the president of ‘whitewashing’ it.”
CBS News covered Jeffries’ comments elsewhere in greater detail, as well as the new White House webpage that “rewrites history of Jan. 6 Capitol riot and 2020 election.” But Dokoupil’s treatment on the newscast was scant, amounting to less than 20 seconds.
Strikingly, Dokoupil next shifted to a light-hearted and longer segment on AI memes about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s many jobs (though not, incidentally, Rubio clear-eyed tweets about January 6 going viral on Tuesday for his).
“Marco Rubio, we salute you. You’re the ultimate Florida man,” said Dokoupil in the segment, which was later promoted by the White House’s Rapid Response team.
Dokoupil’s eyebrow-raising decisions on the newscast following a rocky ascension to the anchor desk comes at a pivotal time for CBS News, as the news organization is being reshaped by Bari Weiss, the co-founder of the right-leaning Free Press who was appointed by Paramount chief David Ellison in October to the newly created role of editor-in-chief. The concern is CBS is shifting to a more Trump-friendly stance at a time when journalistic scrutiny is needed.
Weiss came under fire last month for holding a “60 Minutes” segment on the “brutal and torturous conditions” Venezuelan migrants faced after the Trump administration deported them to an El Salvador prison. The piece has yet to run, even as Venezuela has moved to the front of the news cycle.
Dokoupil’s handling of major news events, and his public comments, are being viewed as a reflection of how the venerable newscast may shift under new management.
The anchor signaled his approach to the job in a video introduction in which he vowed that “average Americans” will come first, rather than “advocates,” “academics” or “elites.” He referred to people’s frustration with coverage of “Covid lockdowns” and “Hunter Biden’s laptop,” topics sure to resonate on the right.
It was the type of anti-“elite” messaging that seemed plucked from Roger Ailes’ playbook in launching Fox News, or perhaps the Free Press, which hasn’t been shy in criticizing the mainstream media, including CBS News. “On too many stories,” Dokoupil said, “the press has missed the story.”
Dokoupil has also been mixing it up in the comments section, pushing back on one Instagram user’s suggestion that his video address was “written by Bari Weiss,” along with criticism from Bravo’s Andy Cohen, who wrote, “Listening too much to experts? Wtf.” Dokoupil responded, “Can you really not think of any examples where academic advice turned out narrow or bad?”
Also on Instagram, Dokoupil promised to be “more accountable and more transparent” than CBS News legend Walter Cronkite “or any one else of his era,” a bold claim that drew a rebuke from media historian Michael Socolow, who noted that Cronkite “regularly engaged with his critics” and encouraged scrutiny of the news media.
CBS News did not make Dokoupil available for an interview.
Dokoupil started two days early, on Saturday night, and the broadcast kicked off with the earth-shaking news that Trump ordered strikes in Venezuela and captured the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, who has since been flown to the U.S. to face drug-trafficking and weapons charges. Dokoupil skillfully turned to correspondents who broke down the national security, political and legal implications, before interviewing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
While Dokoupil asked a number of pertinent and timely questions, including what it means for the US to now run Venezuela, the Hegseth interview — which took up nearly half the broadcast – also provided the Trump official with ample opportunity to frame events in the administration’s interest. Mediaite’s Colby Hall took issue with Dokoupil’s handling of the interview given how the Pentagon’s press restrictions drove out mainstream news outlets, including CBS.
Still, the exclusive interview was a major get on Dokoupil’s unofficial Day 1, as another cabinet official, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, sat down for an interview on Tuesday’s show.
Beyond the marquee interviews, there are moments when Dokoupil appears to be striking a more administration-friendly tone, such as his handling of a Monday segment on the CDC reducing recommendations for childhood vaccines from 17 to 11, a move that set off alarms in the medical community.
“There are parents out there who are celebrating this,” Dokoupil said, “in part because they’ve never really understand, ‘Why do I have to give my baby the Hepatitis B vaccine before they even leave the hospital?”
Dr. Jon Lapook, CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent, acknowledged the risk and benefits when it comes to vaccine recommendations, though pointed out that the American Academy of Pediatrics called the new guidance “dangerous.” Dokoupil wrapped up the segment by noting that “parents are going to have some options for themselves.”
As part of the Dokoupil rollout, CBS News unveiled five principles, including one stating: “We love America. And we make no apologies for saying so,” and another offering: “We’ll be honest and direct with you,” and “we’ll tell you what we know, when we know it.” Some of these principles echo the Free Press’s stated values, such as “We seek and report the truth. We tell it plainly when we uncover it” and “we believe deeply in America and its promise.”
Dokoupil missed an opportunity Tuesday to directly address the threat to American democracy on January 6 — and how this event resonates today. As CBS News Justice Correspondent Scott MacFarlane said Tuesday, January 6 “is not history,” but “a current American story.”
MacFarlane, who has deeply covered the attack on the Capitol, the prosecutions and Trump pardons, made those remarks as part of his incisive commentary on a Tuesday night newscast — but it was over at the BBC, not CBS.
