Tony Dokoupil’s first outing as the anchor of CBS Evening News on January 5, 2026, was characterized by several on-air errors. The 45-year-old journalist, who joined CBS in August 2016 and had previously co-hosted CBS Mornings, visibly struggled with several aspects of the live broadcast, including segment transitions and self-introductions.
One particularly noticeable error occurred when Dokoupil tried to transition between stories on Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. A picture of Kelly was displayed on screen when Dokoupil had signaled a shift to a story about Walz, leading the anchor to abruptly stop mid-sentence.
Dokoupil addressed the mistake live on air, shaking his head and smiling at the camera, while pointing out it was his first day. A moment of awkward silence ensued as he asked the control room whether to continue with the Kelly story or move on to the Walz segment.
A further error was made when Dokoupil misidentified Minnesota as Michigan while discussing Walz’s decision not seek reelection. He incorrectly referred to Minnesota, known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, as the Great Lakes State, a nickname for Michigan.
Dokoupil’s appointment as anchor was announced in December 2025 by CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss. The decision was met with criticism from some network staffers who viewed it as a slight to the long-standing news program. Weiss had been brought in as editor-in-chief by David Ellison, the new owner of Paramount and CBS. The network has been under scrutiny since Ellison’s acquisition, with some questioning whether the changes signal a shift in the network’s political stance.
In a video message released before his debut, Dokoupil criticized what he saw as the shortcomings of traditional media. “On too many stories, the press has missed the story,” he stated, assuring viewers that his reporting would prioritize them over corporate interests and promising greater accountability and transparency than Walter Cronkite.
The reference to Cronkite, a revered CBS News anchor from previous decades, drew criticism.
Despite the on-air difficulties, Dokoupil’s debut broadcast saw an audience of nearly 4.4 million viewers. Original plans for a 10-day U.S. city tour with Weiss to kick off the revamped evening news were postponed due to U.S. military action in Venezuela on the preceding Saturday.
From Miami, Florida, his hometown, Dokoupil concluded his Tuesday broadcast with a segment lauding Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Dokoupil said, “Marco Rubio: We salute you. You are the ultimate Florida man.”
Dokoupil, who resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, Katy Tur, attended a private school in Miami, Florida.
Under Weiss’s leadership, CBS News has seen considerable changes, one of which was the cancellation of a scheduled 60 Minutes segment on El Salvador. Weiss has emphasized making CBS News more appealing to a wider audience.
Before assuming the anchor’s chair, Dokoupil released a promotional message criticizing elite perspectives in news coverage and vowed to focus on average Americans rather than advocates or academics, citing coverage of several political controversies as examples of press failures.
Despite a rocky start, Dokoupil now faces the challenge of rejuvenating a broadcast format that has been losing relevance as news consumption habits evolve. The anchor role that Dokoupil now occupies has been held by notable figures in American journalism, including Cronkite, as the CBS Evening News struggles to retain its audience against competitors while viewers increasingly turn to cable news, streaming platforms, and online sources.
Going forward, Dokoupil must navigate the technicalities of anchoring a nightly broadcast and address the broader challenges facing network news. His first broadcast revealed that mastering the former is still a work in progress, even as questions continue to arise about the network’s editorial direction under new management.