FOX 'Fair and Balanced' ? Not when accepting a Gay Anchorman that want's to come out

originally posted by: FlyersFan
So there is a question as to if the story is accurate ???
I like Shepard Smith. I had no idea he is gay. And further ... I don't care.
Why would it matter either way? The guy is talented and a well balanced reporter.

He may be the only balanced reporter on fox.

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: youdidntseeme


Nice catch!

But still, who really knows the truth anymore?

Very good question......

originally posted by: amazing
He may be the only balanced reporter on fox.

He's talented and could write his own ticket on any network he wants. If FOX mistreated him, he could easily slip over to CNN or even a network like CBS. I'm sure he's smart enough never to go near MSNBC.

Fox is the geezer network. Fox is brilliant for focusing on the senior, christian, conservative demographic. The advertising is targeted, the "news" is not fair and balanced; it's scripted and slanted to appeal to their chosen demographic.

It's purely marketing, ratings and the quest for the advertising dollar. Business as usual in America.

Fox tell us "stringers" the types of stories they want and even choreograph the types of shots they want.

en.wikipedia.org...(journalism)

It's not news, it's entertainment pure and simple. Most "News" channels have more advertising than "News" mostly fluff stories anyway!

The whole Shep story imo is to try and make Fox look tolerant and expand their viewship a few notches outside geezerville.

Need Depends, or goop to hold your teeth in? Fox is your network.

originally posted by: Blaine91555
Smith says it is a lie, it is a lie until proven otherwise. He should know.

The Gawker; really

This is not ATS worthy IMO.

I never did like gossip and those who engage in it, since it's nearly always wrong and used to slander people by folks who don't care if its true or not.

If you see fit to close/remove the thread, please do
Didn't know Gawker was on the list of bad sources....sorry

I'll remember next time

a reply to: buster2010
Old people had lives we been around the block and I bet back in the day I could have drank you under the table.

Could someone link the list of "Bad ATS Sources" please? I have looked and can't seem to locate that post.

Why does anyone care?

It's between Smith and FOX. Actually, not even FOX. Just Shep.

I tend to think if he did come out, legions of geriatrics would cheer. Half probably have an out grandchild or child. Some might want to be out themselves.

Really though, it's not about sexuality - it's about the culture wars, which makes FOX a helluva lot of money.

Jody Foster didn't ever 'come out'. She said she was just going to live her life and that her life is no one's business. Everyone knows she is a lesbian ... and no one cares. (she's my favorite actress ) Maybe Shepard Smith is doing the same thing.

originally posted by: Gryphon66
Could someone link the list of "Bad ATS Sources" please? I have looked and can't seem to locate that post.

I think it's more of 'learn as you go' type thingy....LOL

I usually do more 'Fragile Earth' threads so I'm safe there
Or just random non-political stories...which I think I'll stay with *sigh*

How many of the chefs on Food Network are gay for that matter? It's pretty common knowledge which ones are, but I don't recall any of them having a big news conference to announce the fact.

So, if Food Network oppressing their gay talent?

Shepard Smith is the only saving grace from Fox News. I don't think I ever once heard him being a right wing cheerleader.

They'll probably give him the pink slip like Alan Colmes.

a reply to: FlyersFan

Jodie Foster "Comes Out" at the Golden Globes

She did it with the class that is her trademark, and didn't hire clowns or trick-ponies and install neon signs ... but she did, technically, make a public announcement, i.e. "came out."

Why does he feel the need to announce his sexual preference? Not something I care to know about straight or gay. Just read the damn news. Obviously it is an attention grab. I don't really care for any of the big news medias anyway. They all have an agenda and it is not telling the truth.

Gay, not gay. Who really gives a crap? It doesn't affect my life one bit. How does this garbage become news anyway?

Television has turned us into gossiping idiots. Mind your own business and keep your personal life to yourself and your family and the world will be better off for it. No more drama.

originally posted by: ketsuko
How many of the chefs on Food Network are gay for that matter? It's pretty common knowledge which ones are, but I don't recall any of them having a big news conference to announce the fact.

So, if Food Network oppressing their gay talent?

You've got a point there. I'm gay and like Jodie Foster, I don't publicly advertise the fact. I am the manager of a business that deals with a lot of families so I keep my sexuality on the downlow out of respect for them.

At the end of the day, sexuality is no different to race, except some of us can hide it. A person ought to be judged by their talent and skill set alone in the professional realm so there is no real need for public declarations. Coming out is for one's private life and in the worklife part of your existence, in most situations do not require sexuality to be defined or clarified.

why would shep want to announce his sexuality on tv like cooper?

if he is gay, "it's already been done, honey"

it shouldn't be done on fox, anyway. it has nothing to do with his job or the station and it's probably not news.

besides, his friends know and that is what matters.

a reply to: markosity1973

Exactly, and if as the article says he's been bringing his partner to company functions with him it's not like he's having to hide what he is for fear of being castigated about it or losing his job over it. They just decided they didn't need to circus of a coming out party. As has been pointed out already, it's been done by Cooper already, so it's not like Shep can grab much ratings for it.

If he really wants to out himself, I'm sure there are ways to do it without doing it. Truthfully, he already seemed like one of the best candidates for the gay guy at Fox anyhow and I don't think he's alone.

Seems this isn't the first time that the Gawker has gone after Shep. Here's a story from Oct of last year.

Why Did Gawker Out Sheperd Smith - but Who Cares?

Blatant outings of public figures feel, in 2013, like a relic of the dark old days, when someone’s homosexuality was news in and of itself. Devoting an entire article to a celebrity’s orientation, once a sign of progress, would today seem weird and regressive. In a culture increasingly acclimated to the notion that being gay is entirely normal, the classic outing article would have an anachronistic air of tacit homophobia. Its underlying point—this person is gay!—simply isn’t newsworthy unless homosexuality were somehow aberrant or shameful. If it’s not, why report on it in the first place?

My guess is they wanted to out Smith (again?) so they wrapped a story around it about FOX execs being against it to make it seem like that was the story, when in reality, they were hoping to turn shock some FOX viewers...

Gawker is a rag.

I'm certainly not going to rehash the reasons for why sexual orientation is a bit more complicated than "what who puts what where in the boudoir" ... but it begins with the fact that it was only 11 years ago that SCOTUS finally declared all sodomy laws unconstitutional (which have traditionally been used primarily to persecute homosexuals) and ends with the fact that the Louisiana House voted 66-27 on April 16th, 2014 to keep the state's unconstitutional sodomy ban under Louisiana’s "crimes against nature" law on the books.

No big deal you might say? Tell that to the 12 men who were arrested in 2013 in a sting operation conducted, illegally, by the East Baton Rouge Parish's Sheriff's Office. They weren't convicted, of course, but the message is crystal clear.

In short, making noise about equal rights still matters ...

But Shep Smith can come out or not when he chooses ... that's nobody's business but his in my book.

a reply to: Gryphon66

There is a difference between gay rights and public declarations though.

i.e. It's no secret in my workplace that I am gay or that I unknowingly at the time hired a lesbian assistant manager (true story lol, my gaydar was broken that day) So among my colleagues it's no secret, and I get the respect and friendship I would expect still.

But to the general public, its not really appropriate to declare my sexuality as it would lose me as much respect as it would gain me in their realm because they don't know me. It happens all the time here on ATS where announcing my sexuality is often appropriate. I am participating in a forum right now for instance that keeps getting derailed because of on members problem with gay people.