CBS Anchor Barred from Reporting Politics at Taiwan Hotel After Covering Xi-Trump Summit

CBS News star anchor Tony Dokoupil, unable to obtain a visa for China, was forced to report on the Xi-Trump summit remotely from Taiwan. He revealed that due to the hotel owner's dissatisfaction with his reporting, he has been prohibited from broadcasting any political content within the hotel's property. The New York Post reported that after airing a segment featuring Taiwanese citizens expressing fear of speaking openly about China, CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil told viewers, "Even at the hotel where we're staying... after seeing our broadcast last night, the manager told us we can't report any political content on their property." Consequently, his second and final broadcast in Taipei was moved to Liberty Square. This is the latest in a series of issues for Dokoupil, whose cameraman fainted during a broadcast on the 13th. Sources told the New York Post that senior cameraman Randy Schmidt suddenly fainted after rushing to assist with the program at the last minute from Tokyo. The sound of the cameraman collapsing could be heard as Dokoupil was providing updates on the summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Dokoupil was heard saying midway through the closing, "You're going to hear a lot about the rise of a powerful new China... Is he okay?" as other shocked crew members remained silent. He added, "We're going to take a short break. We have a medical emergency here." The "CBS Evening News" team shared an update a few minutes after the broadcast ended, stating that the cameraman "is fine and recovering." As previously reported by the New York Post, this trip to Taiwan occurred after CBS News failed to secure a visa for Dokoupil to enter China. Sources claim that CBS News' "poor planning" forced the network to scramble to send Dokoupil to Taiwan for remote broadcasting, while his competitors, NBC News' Tom Llamas and ABC News' David Muir, were already performing anchor duties in China.