Tony Dokoupil to debut on ‘CBS Evening News’ early amid Venezuela military action

UPDATED: Tony Dokoupil will begin anchoring “CBS Evening News” on Saturday, Jan. 3, two days earlier than planned, to cover U.S. military strikes on Venezuela and the capture of leader Nicolás Maduro.

Dokoupil will anchor from San Francisco on Saturday night. His debut was scheduled for Monday, Jan. 5, with a two-week trip across the country. Those plans have now been shelved.

CBS News did not respond to a request for comment on the change or discuss coverage plans.

The accelerated debut follows statements from both Dokoupil and CBS News that have raised questions about the network’s editorial approach. Dokoupil wrote in a Jan. 1 blog post that legacy media had failed on certain stories “because we’ve taken into account the perspective of advocates and not the average American. Or we put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you.”

Tony Dokoupil pledges editorial independence from CBS owners days before ‘Evening News’ debut

CBS News posted five editorial principles on social media Friday, including “We love America. And we make no apologies for saying so.”

The statements have drawn scrutiny as Dokoupil prepares to anchor coverage of a major military action.

President Trump declared the U.S. would “run” Venezuela following the capture of Maduro.

Followers on Dokoupil’s Instagram account raised questions about the network’s editorial direction in recent days. Dokoupil responded to some, stating he had written the words in his recent promotional message and urged people to “hold me to them.”

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CBS News is led by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who joined the network after Paramount acquired The Free Press. 

Weiss has no experience managing a traditional media operation. Since her arrival, she has established town hall discussions and debates, criticized the newsroom and other media organizations, and recently called for a vetted “60 Minutes” segment to be held.

Dokoupil’s planned “Live from America” trip, which was to begin Monday with broadcasts from various U.S. cities and towns, has been postponed until a later date. On Monday, Jan. 5, Dokoupil will anchor the broadcast from New York City and the CBS Broadcast Center. 

Other networks called in top anchors to cover the breaking news. Bret Baier appeared on Fox News Channel on Saturday. Rachel Maddow joined regular anchor Ali Velshi on MSNBC. Erin Burnett and Wolf Blitzer anchored on CNN.

Tom Llamas is expected to anchor Saturday’s “NBC Nightly News,” having been the only evening news anchor to cover the Trump administration press conference on Saturday.