‘We’re Calling a Doctor’: CBS News Cameraman Suffers ‘Medical Emergency’ During Live Broadcast

Wednesday’s edition of the CBS Evening News came to an abrupt halt, as a cameraman suffered what the network called “a medical emergency.”

Anchor Tony Dokoupil is hosting the program from Taipei, Taiwan, amid President Donald Trump’s trip to China for high-level talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During the final segment of the broadcast, it became quite clear that something had gone awry:

DOKOUPIL: And finally, tonight, from Taiwan, as President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping prepare to meet, you will hear a lot about American decline and the rise of a powerful new China. [thumping noise] The Chinese certainly– is he ok? We’re gonna take a quick break. We have a medical emergency here. We’re calling a doctor.

VOICE OFF-SCREEN: Can you call a doctor, please?

The program cut back to a CBS News studio, where another host said, “So I’m going to sign off for Tony Dokoupil, who’s been reporting in Taiwan. We are going to go to break. We’ll be right back.”

Shortly after the incident, CBS News issued a statement saying that the camera operator is fine.

“Tonight during the final segment of CBS Evening News, our cameraman on set suffered a medical emergency. Thankfully, he’s okay and recovering,” it read.

Dokoupil is hosting CBS Evening News from Taiwan instead of China after he was unable to secure a visa, according to a report by Semafor on Wednesday.

“Two people who had been briefed on the issue said Dokoupil had not been able to get a Chinese visa, though it’s unclear whether the block came from a late application or another issue,” the report stated. “CBS News declined to comment and the Chinese Embassy in Washington didn’t respond immediately to inquiries as to why Dokoupil is not in Beijing.”

Wednesday’s headaches are just the latest for CBS Evening News, which is last in ratings among the major nightly news network programs. Dokoupil’s first show in January was hampered by apparent teleprompter issues.

Watch above via CBS News.

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