CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil’s China broadcast ends after cameraman’s medical emergency on air

A broadcast hosted by CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil ended abruptly after a cameraman suffered a medical emergency on air. ​

Dokoupil, 45, was hosting the show live from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, on Wednesday as part of the network’s coverage of President Trump’s visit to China. ​

At one point during the broadcast, the anchor began by saying that viewers would hear a lot about “American decline” and a “powerful new China.”

​“The Chinese certainly…is he okay?” he said, abruptly cutting himself off. ​

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Midway through Dokoupil’s sentence, a dull thud could be heard in the background and the broadcast quickly switched to B-roll footage of the city.​

Over muffled noises in the background, Dokoupil said: “We’re gonna take a quick break, we have an…a medical emergency here.”​

“We’re calling a doctor,” he added.​

The feed eventually cut to CBS News chief correspondent Matt Gutman in the studio. ​

“So I’m going to sign off for Tony Dokoupil, who’s been reporting in Taiwan,” Gutman said. “We’re going to go to break, we’ll be right back.”​

On the program’s X account, a spokesperson gave an update on the cameraman’s condition.​

“Tonight during the final segment of CBS Evening News, our cameraman on set suffered a medical emergency,” the spokesperson wrote. “Thankfully, he’s okay and recovering.”

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​Dokoupil, who is reporting from Taiwan rather than China, reportedly failed to obtain a visa to travel to the latter country, two sources told Semafor.

Plans for ​Dokoupil to broadcast from Taipei were discussed as late as Wednesday on a CBS morning planning call, a person familiar with the conversation told Semafor. ​

However, the publication reported that the reason for Dokoupil's inability to obtain a visa remains unknown. ​

The Taiwanese capital is over 1,000 miles from Beijing, where Trump’s state visit is unfolding. ​

At the opening of the broadcast, Dokoupil acknowledged that it may “look like all the action is over there,” referring to Beijing.

​“But if you zoom out from the state visit, you see one of the most important geopolitical stories of our time, and the big question tonight, will China, under Xi Jinping, try to take over Taiwan, risking war and economic catastrophe?” he said.

“This is what could happen here on the shores and in the streets if Xi decides to invade.”​

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