In a statement to staffers, CBS News president Tom Cibrowski said Dickerson “epitomizes the very best of journalism.” Cibrowski noted that Dickerson will continue with his duties, including co-hosting CBS News, “until the holidays, when he says farewell.”
He started his tenure at CBS News as a correspondent and contributor in 2009, and his versatility at the network shone over the years. Dickerson has also served as the network’s political director, moderator of Face the Nation, co-host of CBS This Morning, 60 Minutes correspondent, CBS Sunday Morning correspondent, chief political analyst, anchor of the CBS News 24/7 show CBS News Prime Time with John Dickerson, and, finally, his current co-anchor role on CBS Evening News.
Dickerson is the first major on-air talent to depart CBS News since the installation of The Free Press’ Bari Weiss as the network’s editor-in-chief in October. However, he is the second major high-profile exit, following Claudia Milne, who oversaw standards and practices and announced a departure earlier this month.
Weiss, who reports to Paramount CEO David Ellison, has been charged with shaping editorial priorities, championing core values across CBS News’ various platforms, and overseeing innovation at the network, with a focus on how it reports and delivers news.
Dickerson’s departure may signal another revamp of the CBS Evening News. The evening broadcast has undergone numerous reinventions over the years, with each version endeavouring to elevate the newscast out of its third-place ranking in total viewers and the Adults 25-54 demo.