Tony Dokoupil works for CBS News from morning until evening.
Dokoupil, currently co-host of “CBS Morning,” has signed a new contract to take over as anchor of “CBS Evening News.” His new role was announced on Wednesday.
The news division’s flagship program returned to a solo anchor format last year after being anchored by John Dickerson and Maurice Dubois. Mr. Dickerson and Mr. Dubois will both leave CBS News at the end of this month.
Dokoupil’s appointment does not signal a major change in direction for the program. Dokoupil, who has been with CBS News since 2016 after three years at NBC, became co-host of CBS Mornings in 2019.
He has reportedly expressed a desire to bring in outside names, including conservative Washington-based Fox News anchor Bret Baier. CNN’s Anderson Cooper was also discussed internally, but he opted to sign a new deal with his network. Baier’s current contract with Fox News runs through 2028.
“We live in a time when many people have lost trust in the media. Tony Dokoupil is the person who will restore trust in the media,” Weiss said in a statement. “That’s because he believes in the values of old-fashioned journalism: asking the hard questions, following the facts wherever you go, and holding power to account. Americans hungry for fairness will see that in play night after night.”
The digital news site Free Press, which Weiss co-founded and was acquired by Paramount, vigorously defended Dokoupil last year during a controversial on-air interview he gave with author Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Mr. Dokoupil was reprimanded at an editorial meeting for asking Mr. Coates a question about his new book, “The Message,” which examines the Israel-Gaza conflict. CBS News executives said on a conference call that the interview did not meet the company’s editorial standards after receiving numerous complaints from staff.
A recording of the meeting was posted on the Free Press site.
The editors of the Free Press wrote on the issue: “Journalists like Toni Dokoupil are an endangered species within the traditional press, shrinking under the pressure of this new elite consensus.”
Dokoupil, the former largest shareholder of Paramount, the parent company of CBS News, also publicly expressed support for Dokoupil at the time. He said CBS News executives made a “terrible mistake” in handling the issue. The executives who led the editorial board, Wendy McMahon and Adrian Roark, have already left the network.
