CBS News insiders are expressing deep embarrassment over the performance of fledgling evening anchor Tony Dokoupil, whom News chief Bari Weiss hand-selected, with critics arguing that his debut proves Weiss lacks the experience to lead a major news division.
According to Oliver Darcy's "Status" newsletter, staff morale at CBS has deteriorated significantly as Dokoupil caters to the Trump administration while occupying the anchor chair once held by Walter Cronkite.
Dokoupil's Monday broadcast revealed uncertainty about story selection. His Tuesday evening segment profiling Secretary of State Marco Rubio featured whimsical AI-generated images depicting Rubio in his various roles, concluding with Dokoupil declaring, "Marco Rubio, we salute you. You are the ultimate Florida man!"
Darcy noted that under typical circumstances, such lighthearted praise from an ostensibly objective journalist would have seemed inappropriate. The context of recent days made the segment particularly jarring.
Additional concerns emerged from a CBS profile of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The segment showed Noem, presented in glamorous styling, lecturing an immigrant about accountability for alleged crimes.
According to Darcy, interviews with CBS insiders and media observers revealed consistent themes: "deep embarrassment, coupled with growing alarm about where one of television's most storied newscasts is heading."
Dokoupil's initial performances have validated Weiss's critics, who argue her lack of journalism leadership experience is becoming evident, with internal finger-pointing already in full force.
Executive producer Kim Harvey, elevated to her position last summer, faces particular criticism. Multiple sources described Harvey as a "yes-person" willing to accommodate her supervisors. One insider stated, "Knives are coming out for Kim who is totally in over her head and answering every whim of Tony and Bari, which is why it's such a s--- show, since they have no idea what they're doing."
One television executive suggested the reputational damage may be irreversible: "It's a total triumph that anyone is talking about CBS News. The problem is, it's bad. It's not good. They've gotten pilloried everywhere."
A Variety review described Dokoupil as lacking "the charisma and aptitude to turn the 'Evening News' into whatever it is she [Weiss] may want." Critic Daniel D'Addario wrote, "In his official first broadcast on Jan. 5, Dokoupil betrayed a Weissian willingness to bulldoze past that which might seem too untidy for whatever hypothetical viewer he and his editor have in mind."
You can read more from Darcy here (subscription required).