CBS Disaster in Taiwan

The network’s attempt at a major China broadcast went off the rails live on the air

CBS Evening News had a rough night in Taiwan.

The network sent anchor Tony Dokoupil to Taipei for special coverage tied to President Trump’s trip to China, which is awkward enough on its own, considering NBC and ABC reportedly managed to get their anchors into mainland China while CBS apparently couldn’t secure Dokoupil a visa in time.

Then the broadcast really went sideways.

During the final segment Wednesday night, one of the cameramen apparently suffered a medical emergency live on the air.

You could see the camera suddenly begin shaking while Dokoupil was talking. Dokoupil disappears from the screen as B-roll comes on. He stopped mid-sentence and asked, “Is he okay?”

After a brief pause, Dokoupil turned to viewers and said:

“We are going to take a quick break. We have a medical emergency here. We are calling a doctor.”

Someone off camera could also be heard saying, “Call the doctor, please,” before correspondent Matt Gutman stepped in and sent the broadcast to commercial.

Later, CBS posted a statement saying the cameraman is okay and recovering. The network didn’t say what caused the medical emergency or identify the crew member involved.

But taken together — the Taiwan location, the apparent visa problem, the chaotic on-air interruption — it turned into exactly the kind of broadcast a network never wants people talking about the next morning.

All of this is happening during a period of major instability at CBS News. The editorial direction of 60 Minutes is under scrutiny. CBS News Radio shuts down next week. More layoffs and cutbacks are expected. And the ratings for Evening News are at the bottom of the broadcast pack.

And if the political winds shift again after the midterms or the next presidential election, what happens to the effort to reposition CBS News for a more MAGA-friendly audience? Any sudden pivot back toward the network’s old identity would look obvious — and no chance of regaining its old audience.

At any rate, I do not envy Tony Dokoupil.