Bari Weiss names Tony Dokoupil, who defended Israel on-air in closely scrutinised interview, to top CBS News anchor job

JTA – Bari Weiss, the polarising new editor-in-chief of CBS News, has named the longtime network personality Tony Dokoupil to anchor the evening news chair, in a potential sign of how Weiss’ pro-Israel views may be reshaping the network’s news priorities. 

The move came amid a rash of prominent vacancies at the venerable network since new Paramount Skydance Chief Executive David Ellison, who is also Jewish and pro-Israel, appointed Weiss top editor earlier this year. 

The elevation of Dokoupil is notable in the aftermath of his debate with bestselling author Ta-Nehisi Coates about Israel in a viral interview last autumn that was rebuked by CBS top brass at the time, prior to Ellison’s appointment. 

“We live in a time in which many people have lost trust in the media. Tony Dokoupil is the person to win it back,” Weiss said announcing the move. “That’s because he believes in old school journalistic values: asking the hard questions; following the facts wherever they lead; and holding power to account. Americans hungry for fairness will see that on display night after night.” 

The release touts Dokoupil’s CBS experience with particular emphasis on his Israel coverage, noting that he “reported from Israel on the 7 October terror attack and hostage release deal” and has interviewed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Dokoupil is a convert to Judaism and is married to Jewish MS NOW anchor Katy Tur. 

Interviewing Coates about his pro-Palestinian essay book, The Message, in September 2024, Dokoupil accused him of writing passages that “wouldn’t be out of place in the backpack of an extremist”, and asked him whether he objected to “the existence of a Jewish state that is a Jewish safe place”. He concluded the interview by jokingly inviting Coates to high holy day services. 

In the fallout from the Coates interview, Dokoupil faced internal pushback from some CBS News staff who felt his questions betrayed a pro-Israel bias. He also faced a disciplinary meeting with executives who cautioned him about the tone and body language he displayed during the interview. 

Leaked records of those meetings were published by The Free Press, Weiss’s outlet, months prior to Paramount’s $150 million (R2.5 trillion) acquisition of her business. The Coates interview continued to be a sticking point prior to CBS’s ownership transition to the Ellisons, as Paramount’s former chairperson, Shari Redstone – also Jewish and avowedly pro-Israel – reportedly supported Dokoupil and heightened her own scrutiny of CBS News’ Israel coverage as a result.