“CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil on Tuesday adopted his awkward debut on the job with a fawning phase on one of the crucial highly effective folks within the U.S. authorities, delivering what social media critics are calling a “pathetic” piece of “propaganda.”
Dokoupil, who was handpicked for the position by CBS News’ controversial editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, a former right-leaning opinion columnist, concluded this system Tuesday by praising the “many lives and many jobs” of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“Whatever you think of his politics, you’ve got to admit: It’s an impressive résumé,” he stated.
Dokoupil was broadcasting from Rubio’s hometown of Miami, Florida, lauding his profession as a hit story that might occur “only in America” — earlier than itemizing his positions as secretary of state, interim nationwide safety adviser and performing National Archivist and USAID chief.
He then launched right into a montage of synthetic intelligence-generated memes.
“And now, AI memes have added to that portfolio,” stated Dokoupil, “casting Secretary Rubio as the new governor of Minnesota, the new shah of Iran, the prime minister of Greenland, the new manager of Manchester United, the new head of Hilton Hotels and — highest of high honors of all — the new Michelin Man.”
Then got here the clincher: “Marco Rubio, we salute you. You are the ultimate Florida man.”
Dokoupil was torn to shreds by flabbergasted critics on social media, as such segments are sometimes reserved for entertainers — and Rubio, as secretary of state, is the highest-ranking Cabinet member and third-highest official within the govt department.
The phase was printed on the official CBS Evening News account on X to brutal reactions. One person shared a clip of Dokoupil’s “disgraceful” phase on Tuesday, wherein he “both sides-ed” a report on the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots.
Others have been centered on the tonal shift within the community after Weiss took over CBS News.
“Full blown propaganda state tv at this point. My God! How far you have fallen. Disgusting,” wrote one person on X, with one other individual commenting: “You’re a journalist ‘saluting’ a politician? This isn’t ‘fair and balanced’ this is groveling propaganda.”
Rubio is a much more severe determine than the CBS phase urged. He defended U.S. strikes on Iran final yr and stated it was “irrelevant” whether or not U.S. intelligence had proven that the nation was constructing nuclear weapons, and, as Dokoupil stated Tuesday, is Trump’s “point man” on the continued battle with Venezuela.
The phase adopted Dokoupil’s disastrous debut Monday, wherein technical errors behind the scenes led to seen confusion on the air. While the snafu can nonetheless be seen on social media, CBS News appeared to have edited round it earlier than publishing the phase on YouTube.
CBS News beforehand got here below fireplace after Weiss pulled a “60 Minutes” episode about an El Salvadorian jail, claiming it wasn’t “ready. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi, who reported the piece, said it had been vetted and was “factually correct,” per a number of information shops.
Alfonsi additionally stated Weiss pulling the episode wasn’t an editorial resolution — however “a political one.”
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tony-dokoupil-cbs-evening-news-fawning-segment-marco-rubio_n_695e6493e4b0b693af45fe1c