CBS News Unveils ‘5 Simple Principles’ Guiding Tony Dokoupil’s Evening Duties Amid Backlash

Amid growing backlash to new host Tony Dokoupil’s recently shared reporting strategy, “CBS Evening News” has unveiled the “five simple principles” it vows to follow starting Monday, Jan. 5.

“We promise to live by these five simple principles – from our very first show on the road, to our first broadcast on the new set in New York, and every one after that,” the “CBS Evening News” account wrote Friday on X. In subsequent replies, the program outlined its five guiding values.

“We work for you,” the first tweet purports. “That means you come first. Not our advertisers. Not politicians. Not corporate interests, including the corporate owners of CBS News.” The assurance comes after months of many both within and outside the news industry voicing their concerns about the role that new CBS corporate owners Paramount and new editor-in-chief Bari Weiss will have in shaping the network’s direction moving forward.

“We report on the world as it is,” the five principles continue. “We’ll be honest and direct with you. That means no weasel words or padded landings. We’ll tell you what we know, when we know it. We’ll update our reporting when we uncover new facts. And we’ll admit when we get it wrong.”

“We respect you,” the third value promises. “We believe that our fellow Americans are smart and discerning. It’s our job to present you with the fullest picture — and the strongest voices on all sides of an issue. We trust you to make up your own minds, and to make the decisions that are best for you, your families and your communities.”

“We love America. And we make no apologies for saying so,” the fourth principle states. “Our foundational values of liberty, equality and the rule of law make us the last best hope on Earth. We also believe in Franklin’s famous line about America as a republic — if we can keep it. We aim to do our part every night: One way to think about our show is as a daily conversation about exactly where we are as a country and where we are going.”

When the new CBS Evening News kicks off on Monday, we promise to live by these five simple principles – from our very first show on the road, to our first broadcast on the new set in New York, and every one after that.

Join us January 5th at 6:30 p.m. ET on CBS. pic.twitter.com/K3gNPnC6lx— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 2, 2026

“We respect tradition, but we also believe in the future,” the list concludes. “We embrace the tools that allow us to reach you where you are. Some of you will watch this show on linear television. Others will increasingly watch it on social media. What we can guarantee is that the tools will continue to change — but some things never will. One of those things is honest journalism.”

This “CBS Evening News” mission statement comes only a day after Dokoupil outlined his vision for the program in a straight-to-social media video posted New Year’s Day on X. In it, Dokoupil began by telling viewers, “People do not trust us like they used to. And it’s not just us. It’s all of legacy media — and I get it.”

The new “CBS Evening News” host, who was promoted on Dec. 10 to fill the position previously held by the likes of Walter Cronkite, Norah O’Donnell and Dan Rather, went on to list a number of stories he believes Americans think the press did not cover correctly — or at all — over the years. These include NAFTA, the Iraq war, Hillary Clinton’s emails, Russiagate, COVID lockdowns, Hunter Biden’s laptop and “the president’s fitness for office.”

“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,” Dokoupil argued. “I know this because, at certain points, I have been you. I have felt this way too. I felt like what I was seeing and hearing on the news didn’t reflect what I was seeing and hearing in my own life, and that the most urgent questions simply weren’t being asked.”

“Today, and every day you see me in this chair, you come first. Not advertisers, not politicians, not corporate interests. And yes, that does include the corporate owners of CBS. I report for you,” Dokoupil added, echoing the promise made by the first of the five principles shared by the “CBS Evening News” today.

“I became a journalist to talk to people,” he concluded. “I love talking to people about what works in this country, what doesn’t and not only what should change, but the good ideas that should never change. I think telling the truth is one of them. I’m Tony Dokoupil, the anchor of the CBS Evening News. Hold me to it.”

Dokoupil’s comments were met with fierce opposition online Thursday and Friday. One X user declared that the anchor’s remarks were proof that “CBS News has fallen,” while another jokingly asked, “Why is CBS posting Tony Dokoupil’s Fox News audition tape?”

Suffice it to say, Dokoupil’s disparaging comments about the current state of legacy media and his list of stories that the press has “missed” did nothing to dissuade the already-skeptical. Those viewers will get a better idea of Dokoupil’s vision — and get to see the program’s new, five principles in action — when “CBS Evening News” relaunches on Monday, Jan. 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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