Now you’re frightened, Shep?! Sorry, buddy, but you lost all credibility as a serious and thoughtful journalist when you joined the GOP’s propaganda ministry.

Shepard Smith is probably the only person on that entire network who I have even a tiny shred of respect for.

When he was on location in New Orleans immediately after Katrina, Smith completely went off on the Bush Administration for not having bottled water available to the people around him on the bridge…

When a discussion about torture came up and one guy was defending it, Smith slammed his hand down on the desk and screamed, “This is the United States!  We do not fucking torture!” - and it wasn’t a denial that we had tortured, but an expression of outrage over the fact that we allowed it to happen.

And when Glenn Beck was preparing his ridiculous “We Surround Them” extravaganza, Smith openly mocked him for being a paranoid nut.

Why he works for that network, I have no idea.

Well, let’s be clear: Shep is scared mainly because an armed right-wing fantasist (as opposed to an unarmed right-wing fantasist like Rev. Rob Schenck) was able to get inside a heavily guarded building inside the Beltway and kill someone.

As to why he works for Fox, I’m sure it’s the same answer to almost every question that begins “Why on Earth would they…?” Being paid big bucks to be the token voice of reason in that snakepit gets Smith as much respect from me as Colmes got: nada.

Shepherd Smith is probably the only halfway sane person working for Fox, which is why you will never see anyone else on the network repeat anything he says.  He says these things and they just float off into the ether, never to be addressed.

He must have an ironclad contract if he hasn’t jumped ship to CNN yet.

Shepherd Smith is probably the only halfway sane person working for Fox, which is why you will never see anyone else on the network repeat anything he says.  He says these things and they just float off into the ether, never to be addressed.

That’s what I’m talking about - sure, if this were the first time he ever spoke in contradiction of the Roger Ailes daily talking points, I wouldn’t necessarily think much of it - but he’s gone pretty far off script several times in the past few years, leading me to believe that he doesn’t even buy all the bullshit that his employer is selling.  And unlike Alan Colmes, Smith isn’t positioned by the network to be the “token liberal”, but rather a straight newsman akin to Anderson Cooper on CNN.

Smith goes apeshit on Bush’s mishandling of Katrina relief.

Smith going off on the use of torture.

Smith making fun of Fox News wunderkind Glenn Beck, then chastised by Chris Wallace.

I can easily see him making the jump to CNN or MSNBC at the end of his current contract, and being pretty forthcoming about his time at Fox after the fact.  And he wouldn’t be the first.  David Shuster, who is sometimes a misogynist prick, but overall fairly anti-Republican, got his start over at Rupert’s evil network in the late 90s.

Funny but true story.  I work in the Fox News Building (but not for Fox).  Several weeks ago, when I was stepping out of the building to get lunch, I was going through one of the revolving doors in the front of the building and I stuck a post-it on the glass that said “Fox News Suck!”

When I returned from the deli I had bought my lunch, I went in through the same revolving door, and I saw that the post-it was still there.  As I entered the building, I saw Shepard Smith up ahead walking towards the same door.  As I passed him by, I looked back, and as he entered the revolving door, my post-it was right there at head level.  I didn’t see him take it down, though he did have his head turned towards some building security guards in the lobby to his left.

Several days later, I put up another post-it in the revolving door that read “Waterboard Bill O’Reilly.”  Future mischief in the works.

I can easily see him making the jump to CNN or MSNBC at the end of his current contract, and being pretty forthcoming about his time at Fox after the fact.

The problem is, it’s too late for Smith in the context of this particular fear (i.e. that some armed right-wing maniac is gonna get inside his bubble and stalk him). Whether he leaves or stays, he’s already “betrayed” the Fox News wingnut audience.

Having taken calls and intercepted letters to on-air talent when I got started in TV, I can tell you that the nutcases invest quite a bit of passion in their television “friends.” And when those “friends” begin disagreeing with them in some way, they take it personally. They also tend to follow their erstwhile “friends” from network to network. Sometimes that takes the form of actual stalking—creepy folks hanging about the parking lot or the lobby.

Smith is smart enough to see the pattern of violence that’s been developing since last summer within the right-wing audience his network serves, and has been in the business long enough to know that he has more and more of those former “friends” who are upset that he bucks the Fox News line.

I’d be willing to bet that he made some serious enquiries today about building security at his bureaus after he saw what got through security at the Holocaust Museum. And if he did, he’s not worried about merry liberal pranksters like Tommykey (keep up the good work), but armed right-wing nuts like von Brunn who feel “betrayed.”

And unlike Alan Colmes, Smith isn’t positioned by the network to be the “token liberal”, but rather a straight newsman akin to Anderson Cooper on CNN.

In other words, a newsreader, which has nothing to do with positioning as a liberal or conservative, just the projection of an authoritative, reasonable and somewhat disinterested voice.

In theory, that positioning goal is in the tradition of Murrow and Cronkite, where with rare exceptions (e.g. Cronkite on Vietnam) the anchor tries his best to avoid editorialising on major controversies outside of an interview situation (see Murrow in re: McCarthy, which was a pseudo-invue). Even then, he’s only supposed to call people on their obvious BS—something most TV interviewers seem incapable of doing.

CNN barely has room for that kind of newsreader anymore, though Cooper by all accounts comes close. Fox News, despite its slogan, expects all of its on-air Reporters to also engage in the same sort of Deciding that O’Reilly and Hannity and his liberal punching bag co-hosts do.

The Freepi have some lovely things to say about Shep Smith calling them out for the rightwing mentally unstable whackjobs they are…

Well, we know which side of the plate ol’ Sheppie swings from.

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Shep went a little nuts on several topics today. He is probably having a rough time with his boy friend.

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There is not enough eyeshadow in the world for ol’Shep.

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9-11 truthers, Jew Haters, and people that are of questionable sexuality like Shep, tend to be Obama supporters.

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Fox needs to fire this fag and throw whorealdo out in the bargain. They are both disgusting. Shep’s katrina coverage made me want to puke.

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Did Shep’s boyfriend dump him or something?

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How shall we say it? Shep is just a tad light in the loafers.

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He’s had his panties in a bunch ever since Ryan Seacrest got to hold hands with Adam Lambert every night and he couldn’t do one damn thing about it.

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He should go over to MSNBC. Typical leftie… he’s incredibly ignorant and dumb, a dropout, gay, thinks the law doesn’t apply to him, etc. ENOUGH ALREADY…Dump him, Fox!

Not sure what the fact that the guy decided to call some lunatics out has to do with his sexual orientation, but whatever…

Oh, come on DTG - it’s obvious! Only a TOTAL GAY would have a problem with things like torture and psycho religious nutballs. Having a conscience is way queer.

I suppose by having one person on the channel who maybe isn’t a complete moron/racist/fanatic/bigot/etc they are fulfilling their definition of Fair & Balanced. It must be grueling for the rest of them.

Not sure what the fact that the guy decided to call some lunatics out has to do with his sexual orientation, but whatever…

It’s the default insult of someone trapped permanently in an 8th grade mentality: “Ur a fag!!”

He gets too much credit for having common sense and simply doing his job. It is the job of a reporter to tell you what’s in the news and he does it well. This distinguishes him from all the other douchebags at his network who twist the facts to fit within their own demented framework and makes Shep Smith look like Edward R. Murrow.

Conservatives take note—protests should ALWAYS be nonviolent and it’s okay if they’re even a bit silly, like using post-it notes. Murder is not protest. It’s just murder and it’s always wrong.

Smith goes apeshit on Bush’s mishandling of Katrina relief.

Smith going off on the use of torture.

Smith making fun of Fox News wunderkind Glenn Beck, then chastised by Chris Wallace.

Isn’t he also the one who emphatically corrected “field reporter” Joe the Plumber when he accused Obama of hating Israel?

It’s the default insult of someone trapped permanently in an 8th grade mentality: “Ur a fag!!”

Having come out gave me a shiny, ready-to-wield response for this.  (It also probably kept me from killing myself, but that’s another story.)  ::blink::  “Yes.  Oh you mean that’s a bad thing!”  Also I don’t shave my armpits or legs or wear a bra or makeup often so yay more stereotypes fulfilled there.

He gets too much credit for having common sense and simply doing his job.

Exactly. Feeling slightly more generous toward him today, I’ll say: give that man a cookie!