CBS’s China coverage takes troubling turn over off-screen ‘medical emergency’

A CBS segment covering President Donald Trump’s historic visit to China came to an abrupt end when an off-screen cameraman had a medical emergency.

CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil was reporting from Taiwan when the coverage took a scary turn.

And finally, tonight, from Taiwan, as President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping prepare to meet, you will hear a lot about American decline and the rise of a powerful new China,” Dokoupil said before a thud could be heard.

“The Chinese certainly – is he ok? We’re gonna take a quick break. We have a medical emergency here. We’re calling a doctor,” he said.

The short clip was caught by Media Research Center managing editor, Curtis Houck:

Yikes: The ‘CBS Evening News’ in Taiwan — not Beijing due to reported visa issues — ended on a bizarre and premature note as someone off-screen collapsed in some sort of medical emergency pic.twitter.com/XHP0KFrLUQ

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) May 13, 2026

“Yikes” is right. Thankfully, CBS reported a short time later that the cameraman is “okay and recovering.”

WATCH: Here is the full closing (and #mustwatch) commentary on Wednesday’s ‘CBS Evening News’ that Tony Dokoupil had meant to give, but wasn’t able to in the Eastern/Central edition due to the fainting cameraman….

“Finally, tonight from Taiwan, as President Trump and China’s… pic.twitter.com/UShlpGwrEc

— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) May 14, 2026

On another note, CBS is reporting from Taiwan due to visa issues, according to a report from Semafor.

“Two people who had been briefed on the issue said Dokoupil had not been able to get a Chinese visa, though it’s unclear whether the block came from a late application or another issue. CBS News declined to comment, and the Chinese Embassy in Washington didn’t respond immediately to inquiries as to why Dokoupil is not in Beijing,” Semafor reported.

CBS brushed off concerns over the issue, stating it had two correspondents travelling with President Trump in China and Dokoupil’s presence in Taipei “highlights the importance” of the topic of Taiwan.

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