A follow-up to anchor Tony Dokoupil’s “mea culpa” found CBS News taking even more heat from the left over declaring “five simple principles” — including love for America.
Under the leadership of Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief, CBS News has been ruffling the feathers of Trump Derangement Syndrome sufferers since October as a shift away from biased coverage was viewed as support for the president and his administration. On top of new “CBS Evening News” anchor Dokoupil’s bid to restore trust with viewers, the outlet further melted snowflakes with plans to simply “report on the world as it is.”
Shared in a thread on X Tuesday afternoon, the CBS News program outlined its promise to “work for you,” “respect you,” “love America,” “report on the world as it is,” and “respect tradition” while believing in the future.
The fourth promise was received as particularly irksome, including to those who ascribe to an America Last globalist worldview as “CBS Evening News” detailed, “We love America. And we make no apologies for saying so. Our foundational values of liberty, equality and the rule of law make us the last best hope on Earth. We also believe in Franklin’s famous line about America as a republic–if we can keep it. We aim to do our part every night: One way to think about our show is as a daily conversation about exactly where we are as a country and where we are going.”
Amid an apparent return of Bluesky users to X, reactions to the pro-America declaration treated the statement as inherently pro-President Donald Trump, with one person contending, “You’re obviously grovelling down to maga with this bullsh*t and you need to understand it’s not gonna make the slightest bit of difference, they will always hate you no matter what. CNN already tried this and trump still calls them enemy of the people without fail [sic].”
You’re obviously grovelling down to maga with this bullshit and you need to understand it’s not gonna make the slightest bit of difference, they will always hate you no matter what. CNN already tried this and trump still calls them enemy of the people without fail.
— name but also a little joke (@bearsaremean) January 2, 2026
Edward R. Murrow is rolling in his grave with this embarrassing display of jingoism.
— (karma is a) kat ✨ (@karma_is_a_kat) January 3, 2026
What principle of journalism posits that a news organization should “love America” (whatever that means)?
— James D. Long (@prof_jameslong) January 2, 2026
This is weird.
I am quite sure reporters love America.
But honestly, there’s no one way to love America. And Americans have very different views on what their republic should be.
Reporters should report on government without any agenda. https://t.co/mqKwjN8gX0
— Rachel Barnhart (@rachbarnhart) January 2, 2026
This BS sounds like something a Trump employee would write. The once great CBS News reduced to being Fox News Lite – sad.
— Evan Parsons (@Butterfield6) January 3, 2026
Similarly, University of Virginia Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato invited ridicule upon himself as he responded directly to Dokoupil’s promise for change and how corporate media had weighted the opinions of “academics or elites” over the “average American.”
“Absolutely!” began the post dripping with scorn before leaning into talking points of the left. “You wouldn’t want ‘academics and elites’ who have actually studied a subject to outweigh the off-the-cuff opinions of village idiots. This is how we’re seeing the resurgence of measles, and the widespread belief in almost non-existent voter fraud, among many other great leaps backward in the Trump era. Cronkite would be so very proud of you.”
Absolutely! You wouldn’t want “academics and elites” who have actually studied a subject to outweigh the off-the-cuff opinions of village idiots. This is how we’re seeing the resurgence of measles, and the widespread belief in almost non-existent vote fraud, among many other… https://t.co/Ouodl7Flx0
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) January 1, 2026
Among those shredding Sabato, calling up outlandish takes from the credentialed class like “men can get pregnant,” Dokoupil had his own response and stated, “Good lord, Larry. Since we’re doing the sarcasm thing, you’re right. Let’s be governed by academic committee. I can’t think of a single bad idea from the academy. Ever. And while I’m thinking about it, wouldn’t it please the founders if journalists accepted every elite policy decision as advertised and ignored any ‘village idiots’ who complained. Utopia!”
Good lord, Larry. Since we’re doing the sarcasm thing, you’re right. Let’s be governed by academic committee. I can’t think of a single bad idea from the academy. Ever. And while I’m thinking about it, wouldn’t it please the founders if journalists accepted every elite policy…
— Tony Dokoupil (@tonydokoupil) January 2, 2026
The “academics and elites” who studied such things as men can get pregnant? There are 73 genders? Men can menstruate?
Those things Larry?
If you want to know why people reject the academic aristocracy, that is why. You have no one to blame but yourselves.
— Christopher Tremoglie (@chriswtremo) January 2, 2026
“Academics and elites” were the vanguard of those supporting Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and Hamas. So yes, the village idiots are a much safer choice.
— John David Soriano (@sorianojohnd) January 2, 2026
It took completely destroying trust in the mainstream media for telling the truth to become profitable again.
— Case (@saltynutbutter) January 3, 2026
The spread of measles is cause you dummies allowed 10 plus million from the 3rd world. Wasn’t it your experts the one that said a face diaper worked when they didn’t and lied about the vax being effective?
— Siaka Massaquoi (@_SiakaMassaquoi) January 2, 2026
Liberals: We demand CBS News keep lying!
Fair-minded people: We demand CBS News tell the truth!— Kyle Hunter, FRMetS (@KyleHunter) January 2, 2026
Please, refer us to the investigative journalism that confirms these statements; that measles is due to ignorance rather than immigration, that vote fraud has been debunked, rather than just accepting the word of those that present the results.
You made these claims, prove it.— Juanito Bandito (@bandito_juanito) January 2, 2026
TRUST THE EXPERTS pic.twitter.com/W6swXkMCoS
— Luddite Moron (@Ludditemoron) January 2, 2026
Larry Sabato – the most biased and unhinged pollster in America – is now lecturing about proper journalism… the same clown who pushed this narrative. https://t.co/oXCQOy1gqx pic.twitter.com/PJFy1qhwQ5
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) January 2, 2026
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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