CBS’s Tony Dokoupil Hits Networks — Including His Own — for Early Caucus Call: ‘There’s Gotta Be a Better Way’

CBS’s Tony Dokoupil joined in the criticism of various news outlets’ early call of the Iowa Republican caucuses for Donald Trump on Monday night, telling the CBS Mornings crew on Tuesday that “there’s gotta be a better way.”

“I do have to point something out. Not for nothing, The decision last night by the AP, many news organizations, including CBS, to project a win for Donald Trump just 30 minutes into the night while some people were still caucusing, most people were still caucusing: It did not go well,” began Dokoupil.

He continued:

It did not go over well inside the site where I was. I wanted to get some more information, I did. So based on what I know here, our call was because of information that we share with other news organizations that is gathered by the precinct pool reporters who go in person to caucus sites, they poll Iowans as they enter about who they’re going to vote for. We vet the information and then we make that call, that projection. While there is a process and many, many did, you know, many had caucused already and the caucuses had begun statewide, that meant that in my particular location — and this is true for other locations as well — no one had in fact cast a ballot when news alerts started going off on people’s phones and just all the energy drained out of the room. And I have to say, there’s got to be a better way to do it than that.

“I was thinking that exact same thing sitting watching at my kitchen table. How do we call it so early when people still haven’t even written down their ballots yet? I was wondering that exact same thing,” replied Gayle King.

Andrew Romeo, a spokesman for the campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the projection constituted “election interference.”

“The media is in the tank for Trump and this is the most egregious example yet,” he argued.

Watch above via CBS.