CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil has introduced a recurring segment called "The Big Question," in which he pauses the programme's usual rapid-fire headline delivery to explore a single topical issue in more depth using video, charts and his own written commentary. The move, rolled out four times since 1 July, is a deliberate attempt by CBS to differentiate its evening bulletin from rivals in a competitive ratings battle, tackling questions producers say Americans discuss privately but rarely see addressed directly in mainstream press coverage.

Topics covered so far include the rapid expansion of U.S. data centres and public opposition to them, whether the Trump administration could prevail in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, Democratic support for a controversial Senate candidate in Maine, and the legality and ethics of Donald Trump's cryptocurrency gains. Dokoupil, 45, says he wants to tackle contentious subjects such as the origins of COVID-19 and Joe Biden's mental fitness that carry "a cost" to asking. Executive producer Kim Harvey frames the segment as a way to distinguish the broadcast from competitors, contrasting it with the more detached, headline-only style associated with predecessors such as Walter Cronkite.