Shep Smith Apologizes For 'Lack Of Balance' In Fox News Report

[Tx4obama]

Run time: 00:39 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGefbh2osMQ   Posted on YouTube: October 27, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: October 28, 2009 By DU Member: Tx4obama Views on DU: 10262

 
It is time for Shep to move on over to MSNBC or CNN.
It's a shame that he is wasting his time over there at FauxNoise!

[tomm2thumbs]

1. K&R

[ej510]

2. He's close to being fired.

[tomm2thumbs]

10. Will be the best thing that could ever happen to him

He no doubt has been already put into a 'make one wrong move' category at Fox and they are just waiting for a chance. They can't stand truth in their midst. It shines a light at the rest of their lies.

[AzNick]

21. If they fire an openly gay anchorman, they'll lose the log cabin viewers... nt

[tomm2thumbs]

34. that made me laugh - thanks for that!

[Touchdown]

35. Both of them?

;)

[AzNick]

83. I know one...

You know the other?

[Name removed]

57. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[demwing]

58. oh that was bad

I hope you have your asbestos leotard on.

[AzNick]

89. Too bad it was removed, it was good fun

:)

[ruggerson]

107. Really? You really thought it was funny?

[AzNick]

108. Yeah I am the kind of person who *should* be shocked

Gay jokes make gay people laugh too you know?

[ruggerson]

109. "fudgepacking" jokes

make gay people laugh?

Hmmmm. And here I always thought it was bigoted Freeper humor, rooted in some straight people's fascination with anal sex.

[AzNick]

110. I thought it was funny.

[burning rain]

36. I'd be very surprised.

He seems generally popular there and he certainly delivers the ratings. They pay him a princely sum, too.

[vaberella]

39. Everyone keeps saying that. He's not going to be fired.

This is not the first time he'd done things like this. And actually every single time he does act against the "norm" at Fox, people think he'll be fired soon. It's not going to happen. Overall he keeps up with the status quo at times. I personally think he's a rational Libertarian overall and probably voted for O. But no, he won't get fired, or get close to it. He might move on, but he won't be fired.

[stlsaxman]

49. Agreed- He's one of their token liberals... like NPR!

they'll NEVER let go of NPR!

[Farzan]

56. Oh yes. He is itching to get booted.

[totodeinhere]

64. Where did you hear that?

If you have a link, please post it. Or if not, you should make it clear that it's just your opinion.

He still has a year to go on his multi million dollar contract. I doubt if Murdock would want to eat the final year of that contract.

On November 19, 2007, The New York Times reported that Smith had signed a three-year contract giving him between US$7 and 8 million per year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_Smith

[Mike Daniels]

65. I'd say he pretty much just said "please fire me" on air with that stunt

That's pretty akin to working for a consumer goods company and telling a customer that your company's products suck.

[get the red out]

88. I hope

I would like to be able to watch him, I won't watch Fox anymore for anything; at one time I would watch Shep, no more.

[laughingliberal]

3. k & r n/t

[Grassy Knoll]

4. " Lack of Balance " bring your ass to msmbc. HOOOA

[SnakeEyes]

23. If the he were on msnb...

And his show was the anchor show as it is on Fox and the reporter had pulled on Corzine, he'd ask the same thing but about bringing on the Republican candidate. Don't get too excited.

[Inuca]

37. And he would be perfectly correct

in doing so. It's called news and covering all aspects of an issue.

[kenfrequed]

40. yeah

except MSNBC's Newsshows DO interview republicans. Hell Maddow even interviews republicans and she treats em a hell of a lot more respectful than O'reily ever does.

[Mike Daniels]

66. Yep. Every MSNBC show except Keith's has opposing POV's on it

One of the reasons I think Olbermann's overrated is because his show is just one 60 minute echo chamber with the guests "ditto-ing" whatever Keith has just stated.

[kenfrequed]

67. Eh

Still he is a good deal more rational and intelligent than the opinion shows on fox. He uses real logic and actual facts in his news bits.

[IsItJustMe]

54. MSBNC would have interviewed Corizine. Seems like you have bought into the Faux news meme that

MSNBC is their counterpoint. That's just not true. Sad to see people like yourself fall for this bull shit.

[Better Today]

93. The problem with that is....??????

[Divine Discontent]

32. I remember seeing his Katrina footage - he was very compassionate.

I remember also seeing he was on Faux Noise Channel years before, and going, "oh, how sad!", because I liked him on the major network he came from.

[ecstatic]

60. I think that was his turning point. I do remember him being a smug,

arrogant asshole about 10 years ago (who even did a hit and run IIRC).

[jennied]

45. Nah, he needs to stay at Fox. Maybe he'll reach a few people there...

[Loki]

5. I think Shep has so much dirt on Fixed News

they can't afford to fire him.

[Turborama]

27. When/if he gets fired or leaves on his own volition I'd be one of the 1st to buy his book. n/t

[seabeyond]

6. i just get more and more in like of this guy. i am in a wow with him. that is funny. nt

[aSpeckofDust]

7. I love the look on the reporter's face when Shep asks..

She looks like a deer caught in the headlights. A big Durrrr moment.

[ej510]

9. That is, because Shep Smith went off script. She is used to

made up news!

[601Liberal]

19. The fact that he had the gall to say it while she was still on camera

Guts, balls, sack, etc.

[ihavenobias]

8. K & R n/t

[ixion]

11. yeah, sounds like it's time for Shep to leave FAUX

he's just got too much truthiness.

[snake in the grass]

26. He has too much "truthfulness".

Fox deals in "truthiness".

From Wikipedia:

Truthiness is a term first used in its recent satirical sense by American television comedian Stephen Colbert in 2005, to describe things that a person claims to know intuitively or "from the gut" without regard to evidence, logic, intellectual examination, or facts.

emphasis mine

[Bitwit1234]

12. Rachel also said

that bush wouldn't grant interviews to the New York Times because they didn't give him good press. The woman asking for the interview said to this day he has never agreed to give them an interview....So it is ok for bush to pan a news agency and not give them interviews but Obama and the Democrats get screamed and hollered at by Fox and the rest of the press.

Think I'll write an email to the networks and CNN and ask why I did not see anything about that on any of their stations.

[romantico]

14. Shep

Shep would be great on MSNBC. He could be a fair conservative voice. Article in this month's Men's Journal where he says Bush 41 is the one politician he admires. May not agree with Shepard,but I do think he is a decent fair guy. MSNBC should be trying to get him on their network. While they are at it I wish they would try to get Phil Donahue back and even get Dan Rather. MSNBC would be great to have all three on the network!

[eagertolearn]

17. Lets trade Shepard with Lou Dobbs!

[bamacrat]

74. Anything that would get rid of Dobbs so I can watch a little CNN again would be welcomed.

But a Fauxer I dont know yeah he seems to be one of the few there that isnt as bat shit crazy as the rest and I know they have to have a couple of people like that so they can point to them and say they arent biased.

[lyonn]

90. The RW radicals that only watch Fox need a few moments

of reality in their consumption of lies and distortion. I say, leave him there. He serves a humanitarian service.

[janet118]

46. I'm thinking "Morning Shep" . . .

Maybe then, Joe "Ladykiller" Scarborough can go over to Fox where he can totally lie his arrogant ass off without anyone talking back. He belongs there with O'Really and Vannity and the rest of the bully boys.

[Joe S]

50. Now THAT's a good idea!

And trade Mr.Interruptus to FOX!

[pattmarty]

55. Yeah, and don't forget to bring his "echo" Mika with him.

[nyc 4 Biden]

62. Better Idea:

Put Shep on Hardball and give Tweety the boot. Tweety is living in the past and cant even read the teleprompter properly.

[janet118]

63. Yeah, Tweety is unwatchable n/t

[glen123098]

70. Joe "lady killer" scarborough?

I've heard all about this. Joe Scarborough did not kill his intern. The coroner agrees, no charges were put against him. If you have proof that he killed his intern, I would say please share it, but I would say please don't slander Joe Scarborough until you have proof otherwise.

[stevenleser]

78. Maybe that person is just applying the Gary Condit rules to Joe

If anyone who works for a Democrat dies or disappears, the Democrat is responsible unless proven beyond any doubt otherwise (and sometimes even then).

[glen123098]

80. It has nothing to do with party.

Joe Scarborough wasn't even in the same state when his intern died. I don't know much about the Gary Condit situation, but I do remember that Gary Condit was a very conservative DINO.

[stevenleser]

82. Of course it has EVERYTHING to do with party

Several Democrats in the same situation have been raked over the coals. Virtually nothing has happened to Joe.

It is PARTY BASED hypocrisy.

[peace13]

79. Too funny.

I love your sense of humor!

[Touchdown]

106. Dan Rather ain't going anywhere. HDNet gives him a full hour of deep, investigative

reporting. Some of the stuff he does, like electronic voting machine miscounts, MSNBC wouldn't even allow him to cover.

Rater's show is great. It's on iTunes, but costs money.

[Tx4obama]

42. Rachel mispoke and has acknowleged she mispoke....

From Politifact.com:

The Rachel Maddow Show told us they were going off a Los Angeles Times blog post that was based on Stolberg's comments. The blog post was incorrectly headlined, "Nine years later the N.Y. Times still awaits its Bush interview."

The show did try to research the issue, "but obviously our fact-check fell short," Maddow said in a statement to PolitiFact. "We'll air a correction."

Read the whole thing here: http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2009/oct/27/rachel-maddow/president-bush-new-york-times-interviews/

[louis-t]

91. She corrected that last night.

Only in his second term he wouldn't give them an interview. She apologized for getting it wrong. She is a class act.

[garthranzz]

13. Without seeing the whole interview...

It's curious why he would do that, especially with Christie standing there. From the clip, Smith started with it looks like the Dem will win, the reporter comes in with the interview, and then Smith slams both of them.

I suspect there was something in the interview that irritated Smith, or perhaps he was blindsided by the reporter. Otherwise, why the question? When news organization X interviews a candidate, the anchor doesn't usually ask about an interview with the opponent, especially with that candidate standing there. It could be Smith is pushing back - maybe he's saying "OK since you're going to fire me, I'm going to expose you."

Or maybe he knows the reporter was lying and there weren't "multiple requests in."

I'm glad he said it, but it's weird. (I also note the "if I'd been in control" - is he not in control of his own show?)

Fake News would be surreal - and amusing - if it wasn't so frighteningly dangerous.

[SnakeEyes]

22. Probably because Shep is basically Fox's anchor

His show at 7, not the earlier Studio B, is supposed to the Fox version of a network news show. Here you had an apparently unplanned interview with a candidate. A show that is supposed to be an opinion/discussion show can do that without any opposition. If his show is supposed to be the anchor news show then the thought is his show should be more objective and provide something for balance with a political candidate getting free airtime to give his views.

Shep has been pretty adamant about this sort of thing in the past.

[Chipper Chat]

33. I'd rather watch the 'Shep MSNBC News Hour' at 7 instead of a Tweety rerun.

Would be a nice balance sandwiched between Big Ed and Keith.

[Tx4obama]

43. Don't tell anyone ....

I watch Shep on Fox instead of watching MSNBC's Hardball rerun, I watch Hardball the first time round.
Way too many repeats on MSNBC.
They need to add some new people like 'Cenk Uygur' :)

[Frisbee]

98. Now your talking! n/t

[crim son]

15. Either he's a reasonable man or just somebody who knows which way the wind is blowing,

still it is very refreshing to see somebody on FUX acknowledge the imbalance.

[SnakeEyes]

24. Which way it's blowing regarding what?

Curious what you mean.

[crim son]

71. Regarding the latest outcry agains FUX as a non-news organization.

It's a win-win situation for him to (pretend to) be the lone "fair and balanced" reporter on that network. People will tune in to see what he says next. And if he gets fired, he becomes a hero and is practically guaranteed a job at a more serious network. If I were him, I'd be playing it for all I'm worth.

[SnakeEyes]

111. I disagree

I don't think it's a wind blowing thing. He's been like the way he has way before the recent criticism of Fox.. but mostly only on his 7pm show. People have been posting about things with Shep for a long time now.

[ProgressOnTheMove]

16. Good for Shep at least one voice supporting good journalism.

[donheld]

18. Wow

[firedupdem]

20. Ha! He's getting tired of being on the idiot team! n/t

[Thrill]

25. Not sure how much longer they are going to keep him

.

[Turborama]

28. K&R It's time for him to publish a book, too

Great clip, thanks for posting.

[Thornleylv]

29. Wow

He is the only one on fox that is s news man!

[Hulk]

30. Shep is in the wrong house...

Maybe it's better that he hangs in there. If he goes to MSNBC, he's "just another liberal", who has NO voice to the right wing nuts.

Go Shep. Call it like you see it. You are working in a hornets nest of lying, unethical scumbags..and it's only a matter of time before you are asked to leave.

[eburrell009]

31. I just like to say

Just shows us how much Fox News is scripted. I thought what the reporter said was the most hilarious display of scripted nonsense on the planet.

[Joe the Liberal]

38. No need to apologize....

it's fox news, lack of balance is the norm.

[vaberella]

41. As a Shep fangirl I hope he leaves FN. And I do think MSNBC/CNN are courting him...

Not to mention, I think of all the people on Fox, Shep is the only person reporter/anchor who is well respected by anchors from other networks. Shep has been the only one from Fox I haven't seen on Worst Person's of the World list. And he was mentioned positively on Rachel's show and various other shows. I think eventually he'll have to leave---but he won't be fired. He'd do it on his own accord.

[Hulk]

73. Maybe he could take luisa dobbs spot on CNN?

I really don't want to see him join MSNBC. That would be a good excuse for the fox-propaganda groupies to claim he was just a Democratic/liberal/progressive "plant".

Good for Shep!

[elbram]

44. I cannot help but be a cynic

...and think that the Fox higher ups have given the green light to this guy to help Fox repair some of their credibility problems.

[jefferson_dem]

52. I don't think so.

If that were the case, Shep would be making a point about providing a more balanced presentation rather than publicly ridiculing his own network for the failure to do so. Shep has "gone rogue" ...

[GoCubsGo]

53. I'm even more cynical...

I can't help but think his "fair and balanced" comment was meant as snark.

[lxlxlxl]

69. sort of agree...esp if DU and HP jump on every miniscule semblance of sanity

the guy spends one sec talking about fairness and everyone here and at huffington post thinks its relevant? that's easy PR manipulation at its finest. let's stop watching every second as if that's how a shift at Fox would manifest itself...

[elbram]

95. I had similar thoughts about our responses...

This made me wonder if they were trying to gain credibility with our side to get us watching them too.

Shepard Smith has had been employed there a long time...and had plenty of reasons to do this for many year before now...

I think there is little that Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes don't have complete control over on that network.

[lxlxlxl]

97. are we going to cheer everytime a 1 out of 1000 ocassion happens at FOX?

why do we jump out of our seats everytime these idiots TRY to be SANE?

they lose 98% of the time....where is our focus?

[Regret My New Name]

85. I thought that for a second too...

but Smith seems to have a history of such things... I'm sure the higher ups at least keep him on strategically for the reasons you mentioned... Then again, who knows?

[indimuse]

47. come to the dark side, Shep!

knr!

[Joe S]

48. K&R

[penndragon69]

51. YOU'RE FIRED !

[ecstatic]

59. He shouldn't move. Fox needs at least one semi-sane voice!

I agree with others who said his contract may not be renewed.

[sonias]

61. Good for him!

Yep that won't go over real well at Fox. His days may be numbered.

She was beaming all over Christie - how lucky she was being so close to him. At the very least you think she would say that they had tried to get an interview with Corzine as well (without being prompted by Shep).

Sonia

[Hassin Bin Sober]

68. Jesus! Next he will be sending Morse Code by blinking his eyes.

[quiet.american]

72. Lol. Hilarious. nt

[SemperEadem]

75. big, brass, and clanging

Good for you, Shep

[Subdivisions]

76. Oooohhhhh...

SNAP!

I have a feeling we will soon be seeing Shep on MSNBC.

[CatWoman]

77. I like Shep

come into the light, Shep......

[LaPera]

81. A tactic - to say uh, from now on were gonna be, you know, uh "fair & balanced" -

All's forgiven now Shep....

What bullshit!

I don't trust anyone who continues to receive a paycheck from fucking lying slimy Fox "news".

Why doesn't Smith just quit if he's truly so concerned & morally upset? He's been there for years getting rich, knowing exactly what lies & smear tactics Fox "news" uses...Smith also knows Fox isn't going to change.

Fox' whole existence is only to trash Democrats & feed the ignorant sheep bullshit...that Smith is making shit load of money has nothing to do with any of this planned little confession of his does it?

Fox, and Smith an employee of Fox is trying to convince us that..."see" were so "fair & balanced" we even criticize ourselves.

And they chose a perfect bonehead to do it for them...He's their token bitch boy, their pseudo progressive, doing Murdoch's dirty work, laughing it up knowing it's working...it's clearly working here at DU!

Obviously, the White House and long, long time liberal bitching & pointing the finger at Fox is working, people must be listening and Fox is stinging a bit....Certainly not enough to ever change though.

They are what they are and intend to continue being what they are. Which is a republican propaganda machine to lie, distort smear & destroy ALL democrats & progressives and their ideology, especially whomever the democrats current leaders are, Obama, Reid & Pelosi....(But, they didn't see that pesky little congressman Grayson coming, ah, but Fox will deal with him too, soon with their trash machine).

So let's all start watching Fox and now, give them even more ratings now that we all trust the creepy Murdoch & republican unscrupulous pig Roger Ailes....

What's that they say about a leopard changing it's stripes (or is it his spots)?

[elbram]

96. I am with you on this...

I doubt there is little that goes on with that network that Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes doesn't control...Creepy and unscrupulous are just the beginning when talking about these two.

[FarLeftFist]

84. Don't worry Shep, we're used to it.

[Fluffdaddy]

86. I don't watch fox

[LaPera]

87. Cheers to you - No one should.

I never watch Fox, ever.

I didn't even watch the video of this thread cuz I get so sick from the bullshit...but it was easy to guess what bullshit was in it, simply by the title and by all the fawning and praise by Duers.

If it's Fox it's bullshit.

Everyone here knows this yet still watch offering Fox more ratings and revenue.

ALL have some kind of reason...like uh, "I just want to see what the other side is doing" Fuck, they can't imagine it themselves? the video's are spattered all over DU everyday as well as other progressive sites, why give Fox the ratings, Shit, give them to MSNBC is what I do.

[Better Today]

92. Excellent, Shep. Keep your head above the fray, a better network will snatch you up.

[GreenTea]

94. Good old Shep....

:rofl:

[FLyellowdog]

99. I'm impressed by this. n/t

[colsohlibgal]

100. Kudos

He has never been as wingnutty as others on Fox, so good on him.

Having a perspective is one thing - making things up and being purposely misleading are another. That's as in the many times a republic lawmaker in embarrassing trouble is shown with a "D" instead of the correct "R" party designation under any pictures. That is no accident. They mislead and they flat out lie.

[Mike Nelson]

101. He has challenged FOX party line before...

...but, this went after the FOX motto - "fair and balanced".

[BrklynLiberal]

102. He won't have to quit FAUX NOISE..He will be fired..

[ChicagoSuz219]

112. I still say MSNBC should swap him for Morning Joke... nt

[Caretha]

103. it's all scripted

do not trust. They have been under a lot of pressure lately and they're just trying to throw people off guard.

[usregimechange]

104. Honesty, finally.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

105. Whenever there is honesty from Fox News, it's always from Shepherd Smith.