CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil delivered a New Year’s Day message promising changes in coverage at the legacy media network, at least as far as he is concerned. Dokoupil, who will helm the outlet’s iconic “CBS Evening News,” said he was ready to pull out all the stops to make viewers trust the news again.

Dokoupil, who appeared regularly on “CBS Mornings” alongside hosts Gayle King and former pro-footballer Nate Burleson, is making the move to primetime amid other changes being made by new Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss. He delivered a statement promising to do better via a video posted Thursday to X.

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“On too many stories, the press has missed the story. Because we’ve taken into account the perspective of advocates and not the average American. Or we put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you.”

That changes now. The new CBS Evening News… pic.twitter.com/NKdvRJjYCS

— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) January 1, 2026

“A lot has changed since the first person sat in this chair,” Dokoupil observed. “But for me, the biggest difference is people do not trust us like they used to. And it’s not just us. It’s all of legacy media. And I get it. I get it because I’ve been hearing about it from just about everybody for more than 20 years as I’ve traveled America on this assignment or that.”

Dokoupil went on to list a number of stories with which people on one side of the aisle or the other had taken issue: from COVID lockdowns and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s emails to Hunter Biden’s laptop, the Iraq War, and former President Joe Biden’s fitness for office — and he said that he understood why people were so upset.

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“On too many stories, the press has missed the story. Because we’ve taken into account the perspective of advocates and not the average American. Or we put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you,” he conceded. “And I know this because, at certain points, I have been you. I have felt this way, too. I have felt like what I was seeing and hearing on the news didn’t reflect what I was seeing and hearing in my own life — and that the most urgent questions simply weren’t being asked.”

“So here’s my promise to you,” Dokoupil declared. “You come first. Not advertisers, not politicians, not corporate interests. And yes, that does include the corporate owners of CBS. I report for you — which means I tell you what I know, when I know it, and how I know it. And when I get it wrong, I’ll tell you that, too.”

He said that also meant he would hold everyone “to the very same standard” and dig in to “what works in this country and what doesn’t — and not only what should change, but the good ideas that should never change. I think telling the truth is one of them.”

By the end of 2025, the United States experienced what appears to be the largest single-year decline in homicides on record, according to preliminary nationwide data.

Figures compiled from more than 550 law enforcement agencies indicate murders fell by roughly 20% compared with 2024, surpassing previous year-over-year declines. While final federal crime statistics have not yet been released, analysts say the scale of the drop is unprecedented in modern American crime reporting, occurring alongside a shift toward more aggressive federal law enforcement intervention.

Despite the national improvement, violent crime remains heavily concentrated in major metropolitan areas, many of which are Democrat-run and have historically struggled with high crime rates. According to the Major Cities Chiefs Association, in the first half of 2025, 2,800 homicides were committed in major cities. While cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Baltimore are seeing progress, they started from a baseline of extreme violence. For instance, Chicago’s homicide rate is down 30% this year, but this follows years of rampant bloodshed that peaked in 2021. Furthermore, certain Democrat-led cities have bucked the national trend entirely; Atlanta, Columbus, and Philadelphia reported increases in categories like rape, robbery, or aggravated assault, highlighting the persistent volatility in these jurisdictions.

President Donald Trump has moved aggressively to combat this urban crime through a series of decisive executive actions and federal surges. Upon taking office in January 2025, the administration prioritized public safety by restoring the federal death penalty for those who murder law enforcement and reinstating the 1033 Program, which provides local police with “unfettered access” to surplus military equipment. The administration also established Homeland Security Task Forces in all 50 states to dismantle gangs and drug trafficking networks.

A centerpiece of this strategy was the declaration of a “crime emergency” in Washington, D.C. In August 2025, the president deployed the National Guard and federal agents to assist local police, essentially taking operational control to stabilize the capital. Local officials have credited this federal “force multiplier” with helping D.C. reach its lowest homicide count in eight years.

By combining these tactical surges with the “Ending Crime and Disorder” initiative—which targets the root causes of urban instability like open-air drug use—the administration has sought to impose a national standard of safety. As the year ends, the “law and order” approach is being cited as a primary driver in ensuring that the historic decline in violence is not just a temporary fluctuation, but a permanent restoration of safety.