CBS Anchor Tony Dokoupil Flayed Over 16-Second Report on New Trump Jan 6 Site: ‘Disgraceful and Disgusting’

CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil took heavy criticism over his 16-second report on President Donald Trump’s rollout of an unhinged January 6 propaganda website that presented the issue as a matter of dueling accusations.

The Trump administration chose Tuesday  — the 5th anniversary of the January 6 attack on the Capitol — to unveil the site. It sparked immediate and widespread outrage over the stunning falsehoods, omissions, and concoctions. Those included claims that “it was the Democrats who staged the real insurrection” and that police escalated the violence.

On Tuesday night’s edition of CBS Evening News, Dokoupil spent the quarter-minute of his report on the site delivering the news as competing claims from Trump and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY):

President Trump today accused Democrats of failing to prevent the attack on the Capitol, while House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused the president of, quote, “whitewashing” it. We’ll be right back.

Viewers of local lead-in CBS News New York, however, got a minutes-long package on the anniversary from Alice Gainer that included calling out the website’s “misleading claims and false narratives.”

The scant mention by Dokoupil earned backlash from media and resistance figures who accused him of “both-sidesing” an issue that has a clear factual conclusion.

Political forecaster and founder of the University of Virginia’s nonpartisan Center for Politics Larry Sabato tore into Dokoupil in a series of posts on X/Twitter, saying goodbye to the broadcast forever:

In a brief both-sides-are-equal “report” on #January6th at end of @CBSEveningNews, anchor said: “Pres. Trump accused Dems of failing to prevent the attack; Hakeem Jeffries accused Trump of whitewashing it.” SHAMEFUL! My family watched CBS & Cronkite from 1963 on. No more. Sadly, “That’s the way it is, January 6th, 2026.”

Political scientist and Atlantic contributing editor Norm Ornstein called the segment “Disgraceful and disgusting.”

When video influencer Jeff Storobinsky posted a clip of the report, Ornstein said “People need to see this segment for themselves. It’s an outrage. Real journalists in and out of CBS must condemn this.”

CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter called it “very Fox-y” and a “both-sides mess” and reported that CBS News insiders were “aghast”:

Some high-profile CBS News staffers were aghast last night when Dokoupil’s brief mention of the Jan. 6 anniversary was a both-sides mess. He said, “President Trump today accused Democrats of failing to prevent the attack on the Capitol while House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused the president of ‘whitewashing’ it.”

Very Fox-y, right? The clip ricocheted around social media and was ridiculed by media types.

The Bulwark’s Sarah Longwell wrote “Trump is getting exactly what his rich buddy paid for.”

Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan called it “Literally the worst kind of ‘both sides’ journalism” and “an embarrassment.”

Storobinsky’s clip racked up nearly a million views and dozens of similar comments.

The anchor also took heat for a segment on Secretary of State Marco Rubio that was described as “jarrring” and “cringe” by media analysts.

Watch above via WCBS New York and CBS Evening News.