Tony Dokoupil named 'CBS Evening News' anchor in Weiss' network revamp

Dec 10 (Reuters) – CBS News has named Tony Dokoupil anchor of its flagship “CBS Evening News” starting January 5 in one of the first major moves under new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss as she overhauls the network. Weiss, who joined CBS News in October through Paramount Skydance’s purchase of her outlet The Free Press, is trying to revive the third-placed broadcast news network that has been losing viewers in the age of social media and online information. The former New York Times and Wall Street Journal opinion writer, known for her pro-choice views and for being proudly pro-Israel, has been tasked with reaching a broader audience. "CBS Evening News" has a storied history that reaches back to Walter Cronkite, the trusted anchorman who guided Americans through JFK's assassination and the Vietnam War, but its viewership, like the network, has been declining. In Dokoupil, she is turning to an Emmy award-winning journalist who has been with CBS News for nearly a decade and covered major stories, including the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He has interviewed major global leaders and celebrities such as Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Dokoupil, who has co-hosted "CBS Mornings" since 2019, drew attention last year for his interview with author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his book on Israel and Palestinians, where the CBS host suggested the content 'would not be out of place in the backpack of an extremist' and pressed Coates on omissions about Israeli security concerns. The interview had received backlash from CBS executives that claimed Dokoupil brought his own bias to the stage, according to media reports. The Free Press strongly defended Dokoupil at the time, arguing he was wrongly admonished for doing legitimate journalism. Dokoupil "believes in old school journalistic values: asking the hard questions, following the facts wherever they lead and holding power to account," Weiss said in a statement on Wednesday.  "We live in a time in which many people have lost trust in the media. Tony Dokoupil is the person to win it back." CBS News on Tuesday also announced it hired veteran broadcast journalist Matt Gutman from ABC News as its chief correspondent, in the first on-air hire since Weiss took over.  (Reporting by Harshita Mary Varghese in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Leroy Leo)

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