Shepard Smith re-emerged on the pubic stage last night where he took some veiled shots at Donald Trump and, possibly, Fox News – then pledged $500,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
According to The New York Times, Smith’s appearance at the event was arranged before he abruptly resigned from Fox News last month. The Times also reported that Fox News was a “main sponsor” of the event, that several of the network’s journalists were in attendance and that Smith made no comments about his time at Fox.
But Smith’s allusions to Trump could just as well have been aimed at his Fox News cohorts. From The Washington Post:
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“Our belief a decade ago that the online revolution would liberate us now seems a bit premature, doesn’t it?” he said with a smile. “Autocrats have learned how to use those same online tools to shore up their power. They flood the world of information with garbage and lies masquerading as news. There’s a phrase for that.”
Smith briefly paused, delivering a pointed look, which drew laughter from the audience.
Smith knows first-hand about garbage and lies masquerading as news and he fought a losing battle against them at Fox. He was also repeatedly targeted by Trump for reporting that displeased him.
Smith got a standing ovation after he announced his donation.
Watch an excerpt of Smith's remarks above, via The Washington Post.
Published with permission from News Hounds.
