Katie Couric, the legendary former anchor of CBS Evening News, said she was “more than a little disappointed” in her former employer after the network announced it would replace anchor Norah O’Donnell with two male hosts—a decision she called “odd and more than a little out of touch.”
In an editorial written in the New York Times on Sunday, Couric praised the outgoing anchor, commending her for her role in steering the Emmy-winning program for five years. “I cheered Ms. O’Donnell as she carried out her duties with intelligence and grace. I was proud of the fact that she tackled topics that were especially important to women,” Couric wrote.
O’Donnell took over the top spot at Evening News in July of 2019. Her departure came only four weeks after celebrating her fifth anniversary as the program’s anchor and managing editor. O’Donnell said she made a “long-term commitment” to CBS, and will transition into a new role focusing on big interviews and contributions to Evening News and Sixty Minutes.
Shortly after O’Donnell’s announcement, CBS announced she would be replaced by John Dickerson, the current host of The Daily Report, and Maurice DuBois, an anchor at the network’s local affiliate in New York.
“Don’t get me wrong: I know, like and respect these two journalists,” Couric wrote. “But soon, on the big three networks, there will be four male anchors.”
NBC Nightly News has been hosted by Lester Holt since 2015, and David Muir has anchored ABC World News Tonight since 2014.
Couric critiqued the decision as especially tone deaf after CBS recently named two women to top executive roles: Adrienne Roark, who will take over as president of editorial and news gathering, while Jennifer Mitchell is set to become president of stations and digital.
Couric went on to criticize the CBS execs behind the scenes making the decisions, who she identified as three white men: Bill Owens, Guy Campanile and Jerry Cipriano.
Couric said Cipriano was formerly her “right-hand writer” and heaped praise on her former colleague, but also warned that male writers can have “blind spots.”
“We’re also in the midst of a campaign that could result in the election of the first woman president, and first woman of color as president,” Couric wrote. “It’s a potentially historic story — one that needs a diverse group of journalists covering it.”
