Sheppard Smith is Out at Fox News

Michael Stuart Kelly

By Michael Stuart Kelly
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Peter Veteran

Peter

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He was a bug. Every time he came on I turned to Fox Business. Step on it? From The Net. You don’t want to bug this insect. A fluffy-looking-yet-dangerous American dagger caterpillar was recently discovered along a trail in Michigan, prompting officials to issue a warning about the risk of touching one of the colorful creatures. “These cute caterpillars may seem harmless, but they are indeed poisonous,” reads a Facebook post by the Clare Area Chamber of Commerce. “DO NOT PICK THEM UP! Both children and adults can be affected by them,” the post continued. “Symptoms include the following: stinging sensation followed by a burning, itching sensation on the skin which can develop into a rash.” The caterpillar pictured in the Facebook post was found on a trail the Mid Michigan College campus.

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Michael Stuart Kelly Grand Master

Michael Stuart Kelly

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Sometimes timing looks real weird.

AG Bill Barr just talked to Rupert Murdoch.

Bam!

Sheppard Smith is a goner.

I'm sure one event had nothing to do with the other.

:)

Seriously, it's nice to daydream, but I doubt there is any causal relation. Just because Smith is a vituperative anti-Trumper, he is not important enough for that level.

With one caveat. If Smith was involved in some Deep State crime or other, then that's different.

Michael

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Peter Veteran

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So he wasn’t fired.

Fox News announced late Friday afternoon that Shepard Smith is leaving the network after 23 years. Sources tell Mediaite that it was Smith’s decision to leave the network and that he was not fired. In a moving statement at the end of his Friday show, Smith announced the news, and said it would be his last broadcast. “Even in our currently polarized nation, it’s my hope that the facts will win the day, that the truth will always matter, that journalism and journalist will thrive,” Smith said. The Fox News anchor, hired to join the network at its inception in 1996, said his agreement with Fox meant he would not be reporting elsewhere in the near future. “So recently I asked the company to allow me to leave Fox News, after requesting that I stay, they obliged,” Smith said. “Under our agreement I won’t be reporting elsewhere, at least in the near future, but I will be able to see more of Geo and Lucia, and our friends and family, and then we will see what comes along.” “This is my last newscast here. Thank you for watching today and over the decades as I traveled to many of your communities and anchored this program, studio B, and Fox Report, plus endless marathon hours of breaking news. It’s been an honor and my pleasure.” end quote 

Another guy who's name I can't recall recently left because the network was no longer "Fair and Balanced." 

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Michael Stuart Kelly Grand Master

Michael Stuart Kelly

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27 minutes ago, Peter said:

So he wasn’t fired.

Peter,

Well, if someone said it on the fake news media, that means it's true, right?

:)

Use your powers of observation, man!

Does the following look like Smith left of his own volition? Go there and watch the video, too. Neil got it bad...

‘A Little Stunned and a Little Heartbroken’: Watch Fox’s Neil Cavuto’s Shocked Real-Time Reaction to Shepard Smith’s Exit

We may never know what went down for real, but Smith's exist was super-sudden and took even his soulmates at Fox by surprise. No time to announce his goodbye. Just one day he is, then he says he's outta there, and then he's gone. They let him put some face-saving in his press release resignation, but no one leaves a position like that on a dime. 

I wonder if Smith was involved in those phony baloney anti-Trump polls Fox has been pumping out this year.

Michael

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Peter Veteran

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Michael told me to “Use your powers of observation, man!”

I did. I saw the source was Fox, so I trusted them, but of course they could have been allowing Sheepherd to save some face.

Michael quoted From The Daily Mail: Daily Mail is reporting that Shepard Smith was escorted out by security at Fox News today. That usually means you were fired - for cause. The plot thickens. end quote

How do we know that actually happened? I disliked the guy so I will root for the version that hurts his reputation the most. His farewell seemed sincere. But he still could have been escorted out the door with a box of his valuables. I bet he stole some pens. Who will take his place? Peter  

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william.scherk Mentor

william.scherk

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17 hours ago, Peter said:

How do we know that actually happened? I disliked the guy so I will root for the version that hurts his reputation the most.

It's an age-old epistemological question -- how do we know what actually happened in any given situation?  How do we know what is speculation or malicious rumour, which assertions and claims come reasonably-close to the truth, which tales told reinforce our biases or wishes, which version is the one that we might tend to stick with through thick or thin -- against counter-evidence?  Which tale is the one that survives a robust inquiry?

Rooting for whichever departure story does the most damage is one way of gaining/avoiding access to reality. There are other ways familiar to Ayn Rand fans. Some require systematic reasoning and/or plodding investigation.

2 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

Did the news about Sheppard Smith leaving Fox just knock the Ukraine telephone call whistleblower brouhaha off the front pages?

It depends on which 'front pages,' I think.  The President's personal attorney (is he or isn't he?) is in much of the reporting and opinion-making sampled by the aggregator at Memeorandum.com.

Spoiler

memeorandum

 TOP ITEMS: 
i148.jpgshare.png New York Times:
Giuliani Is Said to Be Under Investigation for Ukraine Work  —  Prosecutors are investigating whether the president's lawyer broke laws meant to prevent covert foreign influence on the government.  —  WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether President Trump's …
Discussion:
RELATED:
i3.jpgshare.png Darren Samuelsohn / Politico:
‘Stop talking’: Trump advisers want Giuliani dumped  —  For weeks, prominent Republican advisers have been privately imploring President Donald Trump to sideline Rudy Giuliani after a barrage of inconsistent, combative and occasionally cringe-inducing media interviews, according to three people familiar with the conversations.
i13.jpgshare.png Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
America Exports Its Corruption to Ukraine  —  Once upon a time, we spread ideals of democracy and rule of law.  Now?  We send Giuliani.  —  KIEV, Ukraine — In 2014, Ukraine's wildly corrupt president, Viktor Yanukovych, fled to Russia after mass protests on the Maidan, Kiev's central square.
share.png Ben Schreckinger / Politico:
Indicted Giuliani associate attended private '16 election night party for ‘friend’ Trump
Discussion:
Paul Waldman / Washington Post:   Happy Hour Roundup
i5.jpgshare.png Matt Flegenheimer / New York Times:
James Comey Would Like to Help  —  The former F.B.I. director wants an end to the Trump presidency.  And yes, he knows you might think he caused it.  —  James Comey slumps strategically in restaurants — all 6-foot-8 of him, drooping faux-furtively with his back to the room …
Discussion:
i17.jpgshare.png CNN:16 minutes ago
Exclusive: Military leader of Syrian Kurds tells US ‘you are leaving us to be slaughtered’  —  (CNN)The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces told a senior US diplomat, “You are leaving us to be slaughtered,” demanding to know whether the US is going to do anything …
RELATED:
i157.jpgshare.png Bret Stephens / New York Times:
Goodbye, America.  Goodbye, Freedom Man.  —  Under Trump, the U.S. becomes the world's fair-weather friend.  —  The time is the early 1980s.  The place is the South China Sea.  A sailor aboard the U.S.S. Midway, an aircraft carrier, spots a leaky boat jammed with people fleeing tyranny in Indochina.
Discussion:
share.png Newsweek:
Exclusive: Turkey bombs US special forces in Syria attack, apparently by mistake
Discussion:
i133.jpgshare.png New York Times:
Kevin McAleenan Is Out as Acting Homeland Security Secretary  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Friday the departure of Kevin K. McAleenan, the acting secretary for the Department of Homeland Security who spent his six-month tenure trying to curb a surge of asylum seekers …
Discussion:
RELATED:
i150.jpgshare.png Jonathan Blitzer / New Yorker:
Why Trump's Fourth Secretary of Homeland Security Just Resigned  —  When Kevin McAleenan became the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, in April, a D.H.S. official, who knew McAleenan personally, told me, “I'm not sure how he can finesse things with this Administration.”

 

Edited by william.scherk
Grrrrammar, spelking
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Peter Veteran

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William wrote: It's an age-old epistemological question -- how do we know what actually happened in any given situation? end quote

In Williams message at the bottom there is a “reveal hidden contents section” and that is as propagandistic as CNN or MSNBC with stories heavily weighted against Trump. Rudy Giuliani is being investigated over Ukraine? For cripes sake, Hunter Biden is the Ukrainian spy and dirty money taker.    

Fair and balanced.
Most watched. Most trusted.
Real news. Real honest opinion.
We report. You decide.

As I mentioned, a reporter who’s name I don’t remember left Fox recently and said it was no longer fair and balanced. He was thin, had light colored hair, wore glasses and I think he appeared mostly on weekends.  But I do think Bret Baier is very fair and balanced in his reporting. I trust Fox to report the facts

Does Fox have real honest opinions? Absolutely. Of course the commentators have a bias but since they are right, I forgive them. I think Fox is the only network that treats President Trump fairly. I remember all the big three networks and their news outlets treated Obama with “kid gloves.” But now, how are they treating President Trump? Not the same as Obama and they report in a biased way. Their selection of stories is biased too. Peter

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Michael Stuart Kelly Grand Master

Michael Stuart Kelly

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2 minutes ago, Peter said:

William wrote: It's an age-old epistemological question -- how do we know what actually happened in any given situation? end quote

 

In Williams message at the bottom there is a “reveal hidden contents section” and that is as propagandistic as CNN or MSNBC with stories heavily weighted against Trump.

Peter,

Thus you see that the problem is not epistemological. Not when the fake news media is concerned.

It is propagandistic.

btw - In that hidden part of William's post, man do those unnamed dudes "with knowledge of the matter" have a lot to say against President Trump, Giuliani, etc., and for some damn reason, they are all saying the same thing using the same jargon and buzzphrases.

Not one of them has a name...

Hmmmmm...

:)

Michael

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william.scherk Mentor

william.scherk

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31 minutes ago, Peter said:

For cripes sake, Hunter Biden is the Ukrainian spy and dirty money taker.    

How would we know if your opinion is right or wrong (or a mixture), Peter? 

As for Giuliani ...

3 hours ago, william.scherk said:

How do we know what is speculation or malicious rumour, which assertions and claims come reasonably-close to the truth, which tales told reinforce our biases or wishes, which version is the one that we might tend to stick with through thick or thin -- against counter-evidence?  Which tale is the one that survives a robust inquiry?

Rooting for whichever departure story does the most damage is one way of gaining/avoiding access to reality. There are other ways familiar to Ayn Rand fans. Some require systematic reasoning and/or plodding investigation.

There are shortcuts, heuristics, rules of thumb, and other ways to speed up/shorten a quest for reliable knowledge.  A painstaking effort can put such shortcuts to a test, in a process of weighing and considering, vetting and rejecting -- as part of deliberative reasoning. 

31 minutes ago, Peter said:

Rudy Giuliani is being investigated over Ukraine?

By crime-busters in the FBI? Perhaps, perhaps not. His activities, his relationship to Parnas and Fruman are certainly under scrutiny. 

We can act like jury members at any point in a public 'trial by fire' ... and our opinions can be tested for objectivity. 

There are histrionic harpies in the air, on all sides. How to lessen a misinformation effect? How to sift 'wheat' from 'chaff?

 

Edited by william.scherk
On the one hand, on the other hand, on the other hands ...
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Michael Stuart Kelly Grand Master

Michael Stuart Kelly

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Here's another possibility about Sheppard Smith.

This is from last March, but it may have grown some legs.

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Shep Smith Accuser Says Fox News Host Sexually Attacked Him, Kept Going After He Tried To Push Him Off

Quote

A man told his story to Big League Politics about an encounter with Fox News host Shep Smith in 2004 in New York City. The man describes how he woke up with Smith on top of him with his tongue down his throat, how he tried to push the Fox host off him, and how Smith lunged at him three or four more times while continuing to force the unwanted physical encounter.

Go to the link and you can hear the audio (it's about three minutes).

It's probably too old to have been the reason Smith left Fox, but it's still great a gossip.

:)

Michael

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Jon Letendre Newbie

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3 hours ago, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

Here's another possibility about Sheppard Smith.

This is from last March, but it may have grown some legs.

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: Shep Smith Accuser Says Fox News Host Sexually Attacked Him, Kept Going After He Tried To Push Him Off

Go to the link and you can hear the audio (it's about three minutes).

It's probably too old to have been the reason Smith left Fox, but it's still great a gossip.

:)

Michael

I stopped watching television three years ago but before that I couldn't stand Shep. Not his face not his voice. I would run to the tv or remote to make it go away.

Serial rapist sounds right to me.

Obviously his protection is gone now and the lawsuits will start to roll-in within a few months if this is so.

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Peter Veteran

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Who names their kid Hunter? I remember a Mash character called Trapper. Yeah, let’s give Hunter Biden the nickname Mouse Trapper Biden. Is he still being paid consulting fees of 50 grand a month? 

William wrote: How would we know if your opinion is right or wrong (or a mixture), Peter?  As for Giuliani ...  end quote

How do we know? Reason. The scientific method. Knowing all the facts. Logic. HISTORY. I am still waiting for all the idiots to apologize for being Communists, Progressives, Protesters who support commies, etc. They have no shame even with the Soviet Union collapsed and communism seen for the monstrous scam that it is, and was. Peter

From Donald J. Trump <contact@victory.donaldtrump.com.  Peter, Where is Hunter Biden? He has disappeared while the Fake News protects his Crooked daddy, who is a total joke. Together, Sleepy Joe and his son, Hunter, have LIED to the American People and ripped off foreign companies for MILLIONS of dollars - and yet, they have the nerve to call for MY IMPEACHMENT? I DID NOTHING WRONG. This is the greatest Scam and Witch Hunt in the history of the United States. The Do Nothing Democrats are Con Artists who are only looking to hurt the Republican Party and your President. It’s disgusting. I’m sick and tired of Sleepy Joe and his corrupt son LYING about me. They are the ones that need to be investigated for their corruption. We can’t let these frauds get away with STEALING THE ELECTION, which is why I’m calling on YOU to step up and join my Official Impeachment Defense Task Force. Words aren’t enough. We need to do something SO HUGE, that even the Left won’t be able to ignore us.

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Michael Stuart Kelly Grand Master

Michael Stuart Kelly

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9 hours ago, Jon Letendre said:

... before that I couldn't stand Shep. Not his face not his voice. I would run to the tv or remote to make it go away.

Jon,

It's odd because I used to have that same reaction. It's like a vibe thing.

I wonder how much Roger Ailes was tuned into this vibe business. He's the one who hired and stood behind Sheppard Smith. And if Smith is to be believed, Ailes knew he was gay from the beginning while many at Fox only found out after he came out.

Just as Smith repels people like you and me for no other reason than he's something to avoid for no particular reason, there are others who respond to his vibe as attraction. I wonder if Ailes had some kind of intuition about this and managed to keep it in balance with other talent.

I know balance was an Ailes value in theatrical terms. For example, in The Five, which is his brainchild, he created it with five archetypes. I can't remember his original nicknames right now, but here is the way I call them. The Leading Man, The Jester, The Leg (the sexy lady), The Mature Lady (or voice of reason) and The Grump. This last is liberal as a kind of fact checker while the other four are conservative.

...

Let me interrupt to say FINALLY!

As I was writing this, I was also looking for the correct designations. I finally found what I was looking for.

Whew! This was driving me crazy.

On 7/20/2016 at 3:36 PM, Michael Stuart Kelly said:

... here's a quote from The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News--and Divided a Country by Gabriel Sherman (pg. 95-96).

Quote

Years later at Fox News, Ailes would talk fondly about his theatrical experience. "Whenever he can, he gets into the conversation that he produced Hot l Baltimore," a senior Fox executive said.

Creating the Fox News afternoon show The Five, Ailes found his inspiration on the stage. "He said, 'I've always wanted to do an ensemble concept,'" a close friend said. "He said, 'I wanted a Falstaff, and that's Bob Beckel. I need a leading man, and it's Eric Bolling. I need a serious lead and that's Dana Perino. I need a court jester and it's Greg [Gutfeld], and I need the leg. That's Andrea Tantaros."

 

This way, Roger Ailes could appeal to a wide audience while having each character remain true to his or her archetype.

Ailes had one hell of an eye for talent. Just think of the stars he hired and mentored over the years.

(He didn't have a very good eye for allies, though.)

Also, it would have helped if he had kept his hands out of the cookie jar. But I guess with growing power comes the growing compulsion to wed it to appetites on the sly. At least his thing was adult women...

The point is, I wonder if his eye for talent included a subliminal sensitivity to resonance between the talent and the audience.

Michael

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Peter Veteran

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Finally. Yahoo printed the following story, so that tells you a Tech giant is at least partially in the pocket of the deep, progressive state. Carl Cameron was the Fox News contributor / jerk who said Fox News was no longer fair and balanced. Come on Carl. We know what is news and what is analysis. And where does he next speak? MSNBC. So . . . . MSNBC is “worthy” but Fox is not? And he mourns Shepherd Smith’s departure? What a hypocrite. Another victim to TDS disease bites the dust. It must come from tick bites and not boils on the ass. Peter

Ex-Fox News Reporter Issues Warning About Shep Smith’s Replacements Lee Moran,HuffPost Sat, Oct 12 3:09 AM EDT Former Fox News reporter Carl Cameron on Friday mourned Shepard Smith’s abrupt departure from the network, saying who he is temporarily replaced with will “be telling in terms of what happens next” at Fox. The network plans to fill Smith’s former slot with a rotating roster of hosts. He had announced his sudden exit on air earlier in the day.

“It will be interesting to find out whether these are journalists who tell the truth or whether these are opinion makers who are essentially coddling the president as allies,” Cameron told MSNBC’s Ari Melber.

Cameron joined Fox News alongside Smith when it launched in 1996, and was its chief political correspondent until 2017. He’s since criticized the network’s “partisan misinformation.” He wasn’t entirely surprised by Smith’s decision, he told Melber.

“It’s a big loss for Fox News channel and it says something about the way in which the cable channel has been for years shrinking the news department and building its right-wing entertainment hosts, ’cause that gets ratings and ratings gets revenue,” Cameron explained. “It’s a real sad day for people who watch Fox News and want accurate information because Shep was somebody you could reliably count on.” “The executives know that this is a loss,” he added. “When Fox would say or do things that were demonstrably untrue, Shep would be the person that they would point to as a measurement of good journalism.” “Tell that to Jennifer Griffin whose report just went viral this week,” a Fox News spokesperson said to HuffPost in a statement. “Or Chris Wallace, Bret Baier, Bill Hemmer, Martha MacCallum or Catherine Herridge who have all done outstanding journalism.” 

Without Smith’s show, Cameron said, the majority of Fox’s programming is now “predominantly talk, it’s predominantly supportive of a president who is violating all kinds of American values, laws, rules, precedents, etc. ... and the American people need to hear that so they can make good judgments. Otherwise it’s just propaganda, and that’s the stuff of third-world nations, not the one that prides itself as leader of all nations.”

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