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

One of the few anchors on FOX that many people really like came across a situation last fall that put many Execs, especially Bill Shine, the channel’s Executive Vice President of Programming, on edge

Reports state that last year Shepard Smith went to a company picnic at Ailes’s compound in Garrison, New York., and brought his partner too.
Despite the intimate venue, the new couple put several Fox executives on high alert.
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the picnic, the most dramatic reaction came from Bill Shine who reportedly “flipped out,” one source said, after Smith introduced his partner to attendees


***ETA:Bill Shine/Roger Ailes/Shepard Smith has since denied this ever happened***

Why hasn’t Shepard Smith come out yet? The affable Fox News anchor has a longtime boyfriend, ranks among Fox’s most senior talent, and lives in New York City. It could be, of course, that he’s just a very private person, or—as the Times argued in October—that public attitudes have changed and nobody cares if a famous figure is gay.

Or it could be that, when Smith tried to come out last year, Fox silenced and punished him.

In the summer of 2013, according to multiple sources with knowledge of their exchange, Shepard Smith approached Fox News president Roger Ailes about publicly coming out. The newly attached anchor was eager, at the time, to finally acknowledge his sexuality. “It’s time,” he told Ailes and other colleagues. “It’s time.”

Instead, Ailes informed Smith that the network’s famously conservative audience would not tolerate a gay news anchor. Ailes’ answer was definitive: Smith could not say he’s gay.

“This came up during contract negotiations,” a Fox insider told Gawker. “Shep wanted to and was ready to come out, and Roger just said no.”

Source

Boo on you FOX if this is true....

Shepard Smith deserves better than this
He is one of the most respected people on FOX, so I doubt you are going to lose many viewers if he comes out about his homosexuality

If they're worried about their so-called Conservative viewers, well if they're ignorant enough to judge someone by their sexual preferences, to hell with them!!

If this proves to be true, do something for a change FOX News and let your support for the Gay Community be known!!


We support you Shepard Smith regardless.....

a reply to: snarky412

Why is he still working for FOX then?

I don't agree with FOX doing this to him, but this is where I find not only a problem but selling out oneself for money!

Don't we have a name for that? "Prostitution"?

Sorry, but I believe that anyone whom excepts a pay check while selling out whom they are and what they believe in is nothing more than a prostitute!

When money overrides ones beliefs, then how can we point fingers?

a reply to: snarky412

Boo on you FOX....

Yes Boo on you Fox, for not having the courage to fire him/not renew his contract if you believe there is something wrong with a homosexual lifestyle.

Why does he need to? Does being gay make him any better at what he does?

Also, Shep was the only one on Fox with two shows. Can you show me in the ratings where moving Shep out of one of those slots wasn't justified when they shuffled their lineup to move Kelly to her new spot?

If true, he needs to get the heck away from Fox. If true fox is more disgusting than I previously thought!

He could get a job anywhere. He doesn't need this.

a reply to: seeker1963

The only thing I can figure out is maybe the staff/crew he works with are what keeps him there
Some of the staff there seem like fun to work with when they allow you to see what goes on behind the scenes
And he did get a whole bunch of new toys--computers-- that reeked of money well spent

It is no shock that FOX would do this after all over half of their viewers are 65 or older. Most of the geriatric crowd thinks gays should still be in the closet and seeing how FOX also panders to "Christians" a openly gay person just wouldn't fit their agenda.

originally posted by: imwilliam
a reply to: snarky412

Boo on you FOX....

Yes Boo on you Fox, for not having the courage to fire him/not renew his contract if you believe there is something wrong with a homosexual lifestyle.

No need to fire him nor is there any need to act ashamed of his partner either

a reply to: snarky412

Greta Van Susteren is a friggin' Scientologist. Shouldn't that be more upsetting to the Christian right than Shepard Smith's homosexuality?

Even if they're not concerned with this from a religious standpoint, keep this in mind:

Operation Snow White was the Church of Scientology's internal name for a major criminal conspiracy during the 1970s to purge unfavorable records about Scientology and its founder L. Ron Hubbard. This project included a series of infiltrations and thefts from 136 government agencies, foreign embassies and consulates, as well as private organizations critical of Scientology, carried out by Church members, in more than 30 countries.[1] It was the single largest infiltration of the United States government in history[2] with up to 5,000 covert agents.[3] This operation also exposed the Scientology plot 'Operation Freakout', because Operation Snow White was the case that initiated the US government investigation of the Church.[3]

source

originally posted by: snarky412
One of the few anchors on FOX that many people really like came across a situation last fall that put many Execs, especially Bill Shine, the channel’s Executive Vice President of Programming, on edge

Reports state that last year Shepard Smith went to a company picnic at Ailes’s compound in Garrison, New York., and brought his partner too.
Despite the intimate venue, the new couple put several Fox executives on high alert.
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the picnic, the most dramatic reaction came from Bill Shine who reportedly “flipped out,” one source said, after Smith introduced his partner to attendees

Why hasn’t Shepard Smith come out yet? The affable Fox News anchor has a longtime boyfriend, ranks among Fox’s most senior talent, and lives in New York City. It could be, of course, that he’s just a very private person, or—as the Times argued in October—that public attitudes have changed and nobody cares if a famous figure is gay.

Or it could be that, when Smith tried to come out last year, Fox silenced and punished him.

In the summer of 2013, according to multiple sources with knowledge of their exchange, Shepard Smith approached Fox News president Roger Ailes about publicly coming out. The newly attached anchor was eager, at the time, to finally acknowledge his sexuality. “It’s time,” he told Ailes and other colleagues. “It’s time.”

Instead, Ailes informed Smith that the network’s famously conservative audience would not tolerate a gay news anchor. Ailes’ answer was definitive: Smith could not say he’s gay.

“This came up during contract negotiations,” a Fox insider told Gawker. “Shep wanted to and was ready to come out, and Roger just said no.”

Source

Boo on you FOX....

Shepard Smith deserves better than this
He is one of the most respected people on FOX, so I doubt you are going to lose many viewers because of his homosexuality

If they're worried about their so-called Conservative viewers, well if they're ignorant enough to judge someone by their sexual preferences, to hell with them!!

Do something for a change FOX News and let your support for the Gay Community be known!!


We support you Shepard Smith.....

Is this a new thing? I thought he was gay a long time ago. Seems there was talk about it a long time ago. Did people forget?

originally posted by: buster2010
It is no shock that FOX would do this after all over half of their viewers are 65 or older. Most of the geriatric crowd thinks gays should still be in the closet and seeing how FOX also panders to "Christians" a openly gay person just wouldn't fit their agenda.

I don't know where you get the 65 or older crap from

Why don't you just say you personally can't stand FOX
We all know that from all your rantings when it comes to FOX

We hop from FOX to CNN...funny how 2 news networks report on the same topic but put a different spin to it

And a counterpoint to the gawker article...

Politico

Gawker's Shep Smith report is full of holes

Several Fox News sources told POLITICO that Shine was in Charleston on July 4 and did not attend the party, a fact that was confimed by a network spokesperson, who said, “Bill Shine wasn't even at the Ailes July 4th party -- he was in Charleston, South Carolina on vacation with his family.

It's also worth noting that Shine oversees primetime and opinion, not news, and thus does not deal with Smith directly. News programming is overseen by executive vice president Michael Clemente while Smith's program is managed by senior vice president Jay Wallace.

Shine's apparent homophobia was not on display when he attended the wedding of Fox News analyst Ellen Ratner and Cholene Espinoza in 2004.

Maybe this is just Fox News playing damage control, but in the essence of the title of this thread, I thought that perhaps we should look at both sides of the story here. Keep ATS fair and balanced in the very least.

a reply to: WarminIndy

Is this a new thing? I thought he was gay a long time ago. Seems there was talk about it a long time ago. Did people forget?

They don't want him to air it on TV like Anderson Cooper did
They're afraid of the repercussions [silly people]

a reply to: snarky412

No need to fire him nor is there any need to act ashamed of his partner either

If the management/owners of Fox believe that homosexuality is wrong then I think they should take a stand. If they don't, they're cowards.

If the management/owners of Fox don't believe that homosexuality is wrong, but they believe their viewers do and try to hide this anchor's homosexuality from them, then Fox is wrong. If they do they're frauds.

Poor Shep, I love him and he is the best when it comes to breaking news.

originally posted by: snarky412
a reply to: WarminIndy

Is this a new thing? I thought he was gay a long time ago. Seems there was talk about it a long time ago. Did people forget?

They don't want him to air it on TV like Anderson Cooper did
They're afraid of the repercussions [silly people]

like is a secret, everyone knows Shep is gay.

originally posted by: snarky412
a reply to: seeker1963

The only thing I can figure out is maybe the staff/crew he works with are what keeps him there
Some of the staff there seem like fun to work with when they allow you to see what goes on behind the scenes
And he did get a whole bunch of new toys--computers-- that reeked of money well spent

Not saying your right or wrong. After my last comment, I also have to add it isn't EASY to quit a job you love!

Yet! Look at the recent Basketball fiasco revolving the "Boy who cried wolf term" "RACIST"! This guy was well know for his opinions of those of a certain colored skin and they had no problem accepting their awesome paychecks from him either!

It's time to stop pointing fingers at those whom disagree with your beliefs, while accepting their money!

I certainly wouldn't work for anyone if they hated me for my sexual preference or the color of my skin! To me, that is nothing more than self accepted slavery because the money was good!

Who's worse in this?

He's made some pretty significant Freudian slips that you could almost consider an admission of homosexuality. He's got some classic YT clips.

Honestly though, one of the best daytime news anchors and on the very worst news network, which we now know isn't only prejudice and homophobic to everybody else, but also it's employees.

I am thinking that FOX has some news floating about that tptb need to obfuscate . Get the masses mad at FOX and ignore them . I never watch the personally but even a broken clock is accurate twice a day a reply to: seeker1963

What a coward this man is.

If he thought it was 'time' to do so , then he should have just done so on live television without telling a soul.

Ask for permission to tell people who you are?!

Nonsense.

Once again Fox news proves it's far more interested in pushing it's own corporate agenda and propaganda than reporting the news.

Actually, come to think of it, a news network is NO place for a NEWS ANCHOR to discuss his sexuality.

Got talk to Oprah, or Rush Limbaugh or whoever else will have you to discuss these non-issues like who you sleep with and why.

~Tenth