Denver Union Station hosts CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil: "Our standards are something we can be proud of"

Tony Dokoupil took the reins of CBS Evening News on Jan. 5. He's spending his first two weeks on the job traveling across America, broadcasting from 10 different cities.

On Monday the tour landed in Denver, broadcasting from Denver Union Station.

CBS News Colorado anchors Karen Leigh and Michael Spencer met up with Dokoupil ahead of the broadcast. He talked about why he wanted to start the show with a cross-country tour.

"People often say the work speaks for itself. I don't think that's true in our day and age. I think you have to speak for the work, and part of speaking for the work is getting out there and seeing people," Dokoupil said. "The camera lens is great. Everyone has a phone in their pocket, but that is really one-dimensional. And there is no replacement for putting your own two feet on the ground and feeling the atmosphere in Denver and Detroit and Chicago and San Francisco and Dallas."

Dokoupil said he's prioritized building trust with the audience.

"The way to rebuild [trust] is through more radical transparency than we have so far. We're up against people who are online and who are completely transparent with who they are, where they come from. They may not be accurate. In fact, many times they're not. And I think that our standards are something that we can be proud of."

Before the broadcast, Dokoupil talked with people across the city, soliciting questions for his interview with Gov. Jared Polis.

"I think my favorite was a guy who said he wants the governor to feel like we're all on the same plane, and Democrats shouldn't crash the plane to spite Republicans, and Republicans shouldn't crash in despite Democrats," Dokoupil said. "He's in the back of the plane yelling, just land! Just get to where it says on the ticket. And I think a lot of Americans feel like he does."

You can watch the CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil every weekday at 5:30 p.m. on CBS Colorado. Catch-the re-air on CBS News 24/7 at 8 p.m. Mountain Time. You can also stream the show on-demand later each night on CBSNews.com, Paramount+ and the CBS Evening News YouTube channel.