Katie Couric accused her former employer on Sunday of being “out of touch with reality” after the “CBS Evening News” announced it would replace anchor Norah O’Donnell with two male anchors, which she called “bizarre.”
In an op-ed for The New York Times, Couric wrote: “It was disappointing to read that Ms. O’Donnell would be replaced by two men, John Dickerson and Maurice DuBois,” noting that she respected Dickerson and DuBois. “The two people who will greet Americans watching the evening news will be men,” she added.
O’Donnell announced in July that she would step down as lead anchor of the “CBS Evening News” to move to a different role at CBS. Couric previously served as lead anchor of the “CBS Evening News,” leaving the network in 2011.
“It is strange and inconvenient that the key editorial decision-makers will be predominantly men despite CBS announcing a restructuring that includes bringing in an additional layer of female executives,” Couric continued.
Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign required a diverse group of reporters, she said.
“We are also in the midst of a campaign that could result in the election of the first female president of the United States, and the first woman of color as president of the United States. It is a potentially historic story — and one that needs a diverse group of journalists to cover,” Couric wrote.
CBS News has announced that Margaret Brennan, host of “Face the Nation,” will also be reporting regularly for the show from Washington, D.C.
What’s even more frustrating, Couric said, is that the people working behind the scenes at “CBS Evening News” are “three white guys: Bill Owens, Jay Campanile, and Jerry Ceberano.”
She praised Cipriano, who she said was her “right-hand writer” while she worked at the network, but lamented that “male writers sometimes have blind spots.”
“While I was at CBS, I read an article written by one of my male colleagues that described Hillary Clinton in a way that seemed to me to be very sexual. I asked my team, ‘Would you describe a male candidate that way?’ and we reworded it,” Couric said.
“The CBS Evening News was third for decades. While I couldn’t move the needle as anchor, I hoped to open minds,” Couric concluded. “Traditional broadcast news may be in decline, but more than half of the viewing public still demands more from the industry. Until then, the network evening news is once again the domain of a few good guys.”
CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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