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Coyote Starrk

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
53,015
I have been constantly following politics since Trump first announced his intention to run for president. Which means I have spent ALOT of time watching Fox, CNN and MSNBC. Because of this I have come to notice that Shepard Smith seems to be literally the ONLY person on Fox that regularly and consistently reports the facts and refuses to peddle the usual Fox Propaganda.


And I have to ask.......WHY?


And its not even just Shepard Smith himself. His show is also one of the only shows that regularly has guests on that try to do the usual Fox News BS song and dance only to have Smith completely destroy their argument with facts and good debate tactics. He also openly rolls his eyes, lets out long sighs, and does other things to openly show his disgust when guests try to lie, mislead or dance around the questions he asks. Today for example he seemingly rolled his eyes when they played the audio of Trump complaining that the News Media never calls him a good candidate. He says "I was a great candidate" and Smith looks as if he rolls his eyes.


No other show on Fox allows this sort of honesty or open disgust at Trumps BS. Not a single one.


I mean Fox seems to make a concerted effort to ensure that its viewers are fed only bullshit and misinformation on every single one of its programs and as far as I can tell they ONLY book people for interviews that will more or less tow the party line or if they refuse to do that then they are there to provide a punching bag for the hosts and other guests to hammer with unfair comparisons and misleading information.



But not Shepard Smiths show.



Why does Fox allow him to be so obviously against their entire mission to keep people misinformed and uneducated on the facts?


And by all accounts their own viewers don't like him either and these are just examples from the last couple of days.








Like right now as I am typing this he is going into detail on the horrendous conditions in Puerto Rico. That is a story that I have not seen mentioned on the entire Fox Network in WEEKS. They are not trying to deflect the blame and they are not trying to sugarcoat the conditions like Fox has done since the Hurricane first hit the island. He is showing open and honest commentary on the conditions there and how poorly the situation is being handled.



Literally NO other show on the network operates this way. Does anyone know why or have any guesses on why?
 

BDS

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,845
He's controlled opposition. In the early 2000s Fox famously had a guy called Alan Colmes whose job was to provide liberal talking points in order to whip viewers into a frenzy. It worked great and Fox has been refining the strategy ever since.

There's also possibly a contractual thing where they can't just fire him for no reason.
 

Downhome

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,356
I am not sure if anyone is better at covering live breaking news stories than Shepard Smith.
 

King Alamat

Member
Nov 22, 2017
8,113
There is a non-zero percent chance Shep has photos of Rupert Murdoch in bed with a dead girl or a live boy.
 
OP
OP
Coyote Starrk

Coyote Starrk

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
53,015
He's controlled opposition. In the early 2000s Fox famously had a guy called Alan Colmes whose job was to provide liberal talking points in order to whip viewers into a frenzy. It worked great and Fox has been refining the strategy ever since.

So he exists to spread actual facts and honest commentary because Fox knows thats not what its viewers wanna hear?



Thats so.........stupid.
 

Deleted member 2109

User-requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,927
Probably don't want to lose him to another network so they leave him be. He's a better broadcaster and personality than anyone else on the shitty network.
 

Sexy Fish

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,395
On the other hand, Smith, 53, who has been at Fox for more than two decades, maintains that his job as a news anchor — not a commentator — is to observe and deliver the facts and let viewers decide for themselves. In an interview with the HuffPost last October, Smith denied that there was a "war going on" in the Fox studios between the news and opinion sides.

"Everybody's got a job to do. [Sean] Hannity is trying to get conservatives elected. And he wants you to listen to him and believe what he believes," Smith told the news site. "And I'm disseminating facts. It's really apples and teaspoons. What we do is so different. He's an entertaining guy who has an audience that he serves, and I deliver the news."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ting-fox-news-viewers/?utm_term=.14f9d5c88ccd
 

Loxley

Prophet of Truth
Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,618
Shepherd Smith is, by a giant margin, the most watched and most popular host on the network. It isn't even close. He is the face of Fox News during the most viewed hours. That's why he gets to do what he wants.

Is this true? I would have guessed that Hannity would have been their most popular figurehead once O'Reilly was kicked out.
 

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,888
I am sick of Libtards reporting news I don't like.

Real Americans only want news that fits with our preconceived beliefs, no matter how ridiculous or unfounded they might be.
 

Teh_Lurv

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,098
And by all accounts their own viewers don't like him either and these are just examples from the last couple of days.

I think Fox keeps his show around to rile up their viewers as a warm-up for Carlson and Hannity. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of his ratings come from people hate watching his show.
 

Slayven

Never read a comic in his life
Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
93,085
Shep been there since the doors open, which probably gives him a lot of pull. But at the same time he been there since the doors open and he watched what Fox News has turned too, that is why I could never trust him or give him any praise
 
OP
OP
Coyote Starrk

Coyote Starrk

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
53,015
Is this true? I would have guessed that Hannity would have been their most popular figurehead once O'Reilly was kicked out.

As often as I make jokes that Fox viewers are morons I don't think even THEY have enough people who are stupid enough to believe Hannity's bullshit in large enough numbers to matter. Only the most uneducated and crazy of the Fox base watch Hannity.
 

bwahhhhh

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
3,162
while he's obviously better than anyone on FN, that is damning with faint praise. he's better than anybody on CNN or MSNBC during the daytime, too. which i guess is also a low bar. anyway, Shep is good.

like, from the 24 news channels, it's really only Tapper and the Coop that I put on his level

edit: if there is "breaking news" like a natural disaster or school shooting or attack or something, I will turn to FOX before CNN or MSNBC just because of him. and i feel dirty doing it, sometimes. but if i tune to FOX and it's someone else covering it, i will switch to CNN or something.
 

RupertM

Banned
Nov 18, 2017
1,482
I have been constantly following politics since Trump first announced his intention to run for president. Which means I have spent ALOT of time watching Fox, CNN and MSNBC. Because of this I have come to notice that Shepard Smith seems to be literally the ONLY person on Fox that regularly and consistently reports the facts and refuses to peddle the usual Fox Propaganda.


And I have to ask.......WHY?


And its not even just Shepard Smith himself. His show is also one of the only shows that regularly has guests on that try to do the usual Fox News BS song and dance only to have Smith completely destroy their argument with facts and good debate tactics. He also openly rolls his eyes, lets out long sighs, and does other things to openly show his disgust when guests try to lie, mislead or dance around the questions he asks. Today for example he seemingly rolled his eyes when they played the audio of Trump complaining that the News Media never calls him a good candidate. He says "I was a great candidate" and Smith looks as if he rolls his eyes.


No other show on Fox allows this sort of honesty or open disgust at Trumps BS. Not a single one.


I mean Fox seems to make a concerted effort to ensure that its viewers are fed only bullshit and misinformation on every single one of its programs and as far as I can tell they ONLY book people for interviews that will more or less tow the party line or if they refuse to do that then they are there to provide a punching bag for the hosts and other guests to hammer with unfair comparisons and misleading information.



But not Shepard Smiths show.



Why does Fox allow him to be so obviously against their entire mission to keep people misinformed and uneducated on the facts?


And by all accounts their own viewers don't like him either and these are just examples from the last couple of days.








Like right now as I am typing this he is going into detail on the horrendous conditions in Puerto Rico. That is a story that I have not seen mentioned on the entire Fox Network in WEEKS. They are not trying to deflect the blame and they are not trying to sugarcoat the conditions like Fox has done since the Hurricane first hit the island. He is showing open and honest commentary on the conditions there and how poorly the situation is being handled.



Literally NO other show on the network operates this way. Does anyone know why or have any guesses on why?

Who's the equivalent on CNN or MSNBC? They are leftist propoganda too. Blitzer for CNN?
 

Deleted member 16657

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
10,198
Who do they follow up Smith with? I could definitely see the method in the madness if Shep delivers the hard truths and they follow him up with a placater like Hannity to shift the blame for these problems onto the libs.
 

Squarehard

Member
Oct 27, 2017
25,871
It's a way for Fox News to get more viewers during those time slots, as there's only enough fake news to go around.

They have to give themselves a break sometimes, as making shit up is hard work.
 

bionic77

Member
Oct 25, 2017
30,888
As often as I make jokes that Fox viewers are morons I don't think even THEY have enough people who are stupid enough to believe Hannity's bullshit in large enough numbers to matter. Only the most uneducated and crazy of the Fox base watch Hannity.
I think you are really underestimating how large that group of people actually is.

Hannity plays to the AM radio crowd, which is actually pretty darn big.

If you are ever in a small town turn on the local AM radio station and listen to the insane callers they get. Or if you want the national version listen to Rush.
 

Effect

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,945
Shepherd Smith is, by a giant margin, the most watched and most popular host on the network. It isn't even close. He is the face of Fox News during the most viewed hours. That's why he gets to do what he wants.
This is something I've wondered about. It makes sense to a degree. Fox News is at its worse with their morning show and once the evening starts. That middle ground though is when you find Shep and several others. At that point at times you could almost view Fox News as being two separate channels. At least you could in the past I haven't watched in a long time. With their daytime to afternoon (minus morning) coverage being actual coverage with a right bent. Then their early morning and evening/night coverage being the overt racist garbage it is. That's where you'd find hannity, o'rielly, etc.
 
OP
OP
Coyote Starrk

Coyote Starrk

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
53,015
while he's obviously better than anyone on FN, that is damning with faint praise. he's better than anybody on CNN or MSNBC during the daytime, too. which i guess is also a low bar. anyway, Shep is good.

like, from the 24 news channels, it's really only Tapper and the Coop that I put on his level

Yeah I agree with this statement.


His 2pm show is now something I watch everyday if I can or I set it to record. Tapper, Smith and Cooper have become my go-to for news. Because say what you want about Fox and CNN, but those 3 (and maybe Wolf Blitzer) are the only people who regularly apologize and correct themselves on air when they make mistakes.


I respect the hell outta that.
 

BDS

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
13,845
Also, as others have noted, Fox News does actually have a news operation that runs during the daytime hours and (from what I've heard) is generally decent quality reporting. It's the evening opinion shows that are where the insane talking heads come out to play; Fox's innovation was in blurring the lines between news and opinion programming so that older viewers got confused and thought psychopaths like O'Reilly or Hannity were qualified reporters.
 
Oct 25, 2017
9,053
Is this true? I would have guessed that Hannity would have been their most popular figurehead once O'Reilly was kicked out.

I guess I'm wrong here. My understanding was that cable news was more watched during the day than during primetime, but it looks like Primtime does peak higher.

The daytime shows, like Smith's, are on for longer chunks of time, so their daytime hosts potentially have more overall visibility. I guess Shep is only on 1 hour per day, now? Was he always on that little?
 

Kirblar

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
30,744
Shep is an incredibly talented anchor who is making a ton of money and has a massive amount of control that he wouldn't be able to get elsewhere due to just how important he is to Fox News.

I'd much rather see him elsewhere, but I understand why he'd stay, he has his own bubble and is virtually untouchable there, barring some sort of scandal.
 
Oct 27, 2017
3,036
that matt couch dude is fucking nuts lmao. I just called him a fascist and a fakechristian on his xfl tweet saying the xfl will force people to stand for the national anthem. Let's see if he gets triggered.

edit: He blocked me lol. fucking triggered snow flake.
 
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Salmonax

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,088
Shep and Fox definitely make for strange bedfellows, but I can't imagine they'd keep him if the money weren't green. I've seen enough clips of Shep being real over the years to have pretty solid respect for him.
 

HammerOfThor

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,860
He's controlled opposition. In the early 2000s Fox famously had a guy called Alan Colmes whose job was to provide liberal talking points in order to whip viewers into a frenzy. It worked great and Fox has been refining the strategy ever since.

There's also possibly a contractual thing where they can't just fire him for no reason.

Was that the dude who was on a show with Hannity and his eyebrow would slowly start to raise higher and higher as the show went on?
 

bwahhhhh

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
3,162
He's controlled opposition. In the early 2000s Fox famously had a guy called Alan Colmes whose job was to provide liberal talking points in order to whip viewers into a frenzy. It worked great and Fox has been refining the strategy ever since.

I disagree, Colmes was there specifically as a liberal pundit to provide an opposing view for the conservative pundits to ping off of.

Shep started being a reporter for them in the mid-90s and worked his way up and got his own show, and has generally just been reporting the news for them for ages, since before they fully leaned into being THE conservative network.

Basically, he's a legit reporter who's still there because he's been there since forever, and his ratings are good. he also gives them a semblance of legitimacy. and 99% of the time he just reports the news, which is why i like him. things usually have to get pretty nutty, even by conservative media standards, for him to start commenting on it.
 
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Joe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,603
From what I've heard, Ailes liked having guys like Shep around because they were a good shield when people accused Fox of being nothing more than a GOP propaganda arm. He's pretty well respected, and isn't afraid to criticize the GOP, so he helps give them some legitimacy.

I also hear he's paid an absolute shit-load for it. Like, relative to what he could make on any other network.
 

Skinny Pete

Member
Nov 2, 2017
2,444
He def sticks out from the trash that is on that network. I agree OP it is bizarre seeing a guy who actual reports facts on FOX as opposed to the nitwits like Hannity and Tucker shithead.
 
OP
OP
Coyote Starrk

Coyote Starrk

The Fallen
Oct 30, 2017
53,015
He def sticks out from the trash that is on that network. I agree OP it is bizarre seeing a guy who actual reports facts on FOX as opposed to the nitwits like Hannity and Tucker shithead.

I mean I had always assumed Fox as a whole was a complete shit pile and it is, but Shep seems to be a nugget of gold hidden amongst the shit. The first time I saw his whole show and saw him be actually honest I genuinely had to double check I was watching fox.


I would pay cash money to see Shep debate against Tucker or Hannity. He would drag their ass all over the room.
 

Amiablepercy

Banned
Nov 4, 2017
3,587
California
He's controlled opposition. In the early 2000s Fox famously had a guy called Alan Colmes whose job was to provide liberal talking points in order to whip viewers into a frenzy. It worked great and Fox has been refining the strategy ever since.

There's also possibly a contractual thing where they can't just fire him for no reason.

And Colmes was by no means a dumb gentleman. It was so gross to watch him be directed to set Hannity up with the talking points. Over and over and over like some sort of political whipping boy. I hope he was paid well for his soul.
 

Deleted member 11413

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
22,961
He gives them an air of legitimacy. Chris Wallace is kind of the same deal. When accusations are flung their way about how biased they are, they like to have experienced newscasters like these two and claim that they are 'fair and balanced'. Basically, they are the 'News' part of 'Fox News'. The rest is opinion, speculation, and bullshit.
 

ZipDisk

Member
Nov 7, 2017
23
Shep is a good anchor that reports the news. The rest of them are just bitter, failed actors trying to scratch out a living scaring old folks.
 
Oct 25, 2017
6,710
He's controlled opposition. In the early 2000s Fox famously had a guy called Alan Colmes whose job was to provide liberal talking points in order to whip viewers into a frenzy. It worked great and Fox has been refining the strategy ever since.

There's also possibly a contractual thing where they can't just fire him for no reason.

Colmes (rip). Was really an ineffective foil for hannity. Or perhaps he was effective for their goal of making Dems look terrible. Just weak.