Shephard Smith is something of a contrarian at FOX News. Over the past few months, he has often poked fun at Glenn Beck, criticized the use of torture on terror suspects, and this week, cited the Department of Homeland Security's report that singled out right wing hate groups when reporting on the Holocaust Memorial Museum shooting.
If, as Charles Krauthammer put it yesterday, FOX News created an alternate reality for its viewers, Smith has seemed somewhat reluctant to play along. As a result, some conservatives are calling for him to be fired. WorldNetDaily and Rush Limbaugh have aimed at Smith. So have conservative blogs like HotAir and Atlas Shrugs, where Pamela Geller wrote:
...Shep sucks. And Shep has always sucked, and it's time to get rid of the deadwood. I don't know where he gets off talking down to us [conservatives], but it's not his job to defend Obama and to try to tie African American racism into this Jew hating incident.
No wonder RNC Chairman Michael Steele has stopped referring to the GOP as a "big tent".
Where do you stand? If you've watched Smith's program, what is your opinion of the man?
I am a conservative and I like Shep Smith. In fact, I was watching his program as I was writing this. I don't always agree with him but he is passionate in his beliefs. Every now and then he says something that makes me look at the topic in a different way. He challenges my beliefs and I think that is a good thing. Fox promotes fair and balanced and I think he helps keep things fair and balanced. I think we need more balance in our government and in other news agencies. Shep is an excellent reporter so I overlook some of his comments. I wish more people would listen to opposing opinions. I would love for more liberals to actually listen to Bill O'Reilly. People should learn to judge for themselves and not just listen to those around them.
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biggowll
4:46PM Jun 12th 2009
Right-wing screw-balls (ie; Rush, et alles.) always harshly criticize their own when they stray from the company script. One may even surmise the extreme right is not interested in finding truth, only spin! Al S.
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bgreen1963
4:52PM Jun 12th 2009
I agree with you abour Shep Smith, but not about O'Reilly. I'm a Republican and I can't stand O'Reilly, he's smarmy and 1/2 the time his facts are wrong or just made up and he passes it off as news. He's either purposefully misleading people with these "facts" or he's incompetent (but then his staff would have to be also, and that's not very likely). I love people who have pasion and opinions and I think you do too. I just can't take O'reilly's constant inaccuracies and sometimes outright lies (things like cutting footage to show someone saying the complete opposite of what they said - that's just wrong). But I definitely agree with you about Shep.
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nnanciejean
4:52PM Jun 12th 2009
Diane, I totally agree with you. As a conservative, I also enjoy watching his show. He brings a different perspective on issues, and that's ok. That's why I like FOX news, they allow others with differing opinions to be heard. How awful it would be to just be stuck in having to watch only one point of view as is evident on cnn, msnbc, nbc, etc. I was also sorry to hear that Lou Dobbs would be replaced by Joy from the view. I can't imagine anyone other than left wing nut jobs watching her.
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Brad
4:59PM Jun 12th 2009
Shep is the voice of reason at Fox. I like watching the guy.
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dandwdon
5:02PM Jun 12th 2009
I like Shep, and he's certainly a better human being than either Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck. But let's be honest here. He's clearly mentally unbalanced. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
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Heather
5:28PM Jun 12th 2009
I agree 100%. I voted Republican and I like Shep a lot. I don't always agree with him but that's okay. His views are well thought out and he seems to be a well educated, intelligent man. What I love about Fox is that it IS fair and balanced, at least as fair as I've seen in the media. They shouldn't ditch Shep and I don't think they will.
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albear54
5:29PM Jun 12th 2009
im a dem and couldnt agree with you more its down the middle where we should be as a country
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robin21090
5:29PM Jun 12th 2009
Another story blown out of proportion to make conservatives and FOX look bad. Let's count how many times AOL, etc. write stories that make conservatives look good. And, yes they do good things sometimes just like liberals, they just don't get any credit for them.
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timber1647
5:36PM Jun 12th 2009
My sense is that the Limbaugh's, Hannity's and Olberman's of the cable world are in it more for the ratings and less for the accuracy and probably more scripted then the President allegedly is. Mr. Smith seems more interested in being a JOURNALIST then being a celebrity. Applause for him.
Timber1647
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jeffrey
6:17PM Jun 12th 2009
Diane,ditto
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Yanni
6:22PM Jun 12th 2009
I'm a very proud Republican and I love watching Shep. I like his delivery, his humor and the extra touch he gives the stories. Shep is as hard on lilly-white liberals who are doing their damnedest in this administration to completely destroy this nation as he is on some of the more misguided conservatives. I'll keep watching him. I don't care what Rush says.
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jillian
8:02PM Jun 12th 2009
I was raised conservative and now find that I stand on the left. I agree that people should listen to opposing viewpoints. My liberal viewpionts are strengthened every time I watch Bill O'Reilly.
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Al Nelson
8:27PM Jun 12th 2009
As an ex republican I can't stand all of the hatred by Fox and Limbaugh and only listen to Conservatives who actually use logic. I miss Gore Vidal and enjoy Will on Meet the Press because they make logical, not emotional pleas. They are always conservative and not necessarily Republican which has long ago lost it's way. The GOP today and Fox News Network only promote wedge issues like gun, religion and abortion . That is not conservative values. Maybe that is where the GOP jumped off of the track
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ourfakemail
8:46PM Jun 12th 2009
biggowll 4:46PM Jun 12th 2009 Right-wing screw-balls (ie; Rush, et alles.) always harshly criticize their own when they stray from the company script. One may even surmise the extreme right is not interested in finding truth, only spin! Al S.
Oh Dear God! Are you serious? That would be BOTH extreme right & extreme left... but I would bet you lean a little left don't you? I stand pretty firmly in the middle and I have noticed over and over that both parties say the same EXACT THING about the other... It is quite humorous actually
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peepaw
9:07PM Jun 12th 2009
I guess I would qualify as a right wing conservative nutball in a liberal's eyes. I am conservative, I am proud of it and I too like shep. I have known for some time that he was biased toward Liberals. I don't think that is reason to fire anyone. Just because he believes different than I do. When a conservative starts wanting someone to loose their job over an opinion then, that conservative, is beginning to sound like the very thing we despise. LIBERALS.
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armandsmith
10:14PM Jun 12th 2009
I like Smith. He is Fresh Air to the same of stuff the other Fox guys talk about , I do like Fox news but I like a variety not just same ole and Smith looks at it from all sides.
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Augustus
10:35PM Jun 12th 2009
BILL OREILLY OR REILLY IS NOT LIKE SHEP SMITH IN ANY WAY. REILLY YELLS AND DOES NOT GIVE THOSE WHO DISAGREE WITH HIM EQUSL TIME. WHEN HE IS WRONG, WHICH IS MOST OF THE TIME, THE VOLUME INCREASES. AN EMPTY WAGON MAKES A LOT OF NOISE, AND THIS IS REILLY. AT LEAST YOU CAN LISTEN TO SHEP. I AM A BLACK AND WOULD NOT LISTEN TO EITHER FOR A VERY LONG TIME, REILLY NOT FOR MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES AS HE IS JUST GOING TO RANT AND RAVE ANYWAY. REILLY REPRESENTS THE DYING REPUBLICAN PARTY, ALONG WITH RUSH AND PALIN WHO STARTED THE ANTI HATE SENTIMENT IN HER CAMPAIGHNS IN 08
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Wayne and Linda
2:07PM Jun 14th 2009
You're right on. We conservatives aren't afraid to look at both sides of an issue. The liberals should keep a more open mind and be fair & balanced. That's why Bill O'Reilly is #1.
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Richie Boy
2:11PM Jun 14th 2009
Shep is the only voice of reason on Fox and he pays the price when his heart and mind converge. Intellect is dismissed in Fox Land and to place him near the stink of Bill O is an insult to his journalistic skills.