video Whenever the debate over Fox News' opinion versus news shows comes up, Shepard Smith is universally accepted as the paragon of capital-J Journalism at the cable news network. And we readily accept that -- we are big fans of Smith's homespun common sense and candid news delivery. So it was somewhat surprising to hear the Fox Newser make what seemed to be a potentially controversial remark about current drug laws when reporting a story about Mexican drug wars. Maybe Shep should have his own opinion show. I know I'd watch. (more...)

This may have gotten a bit lost in 'tickle-fight Tuesday.' While speaking to law students at the University of Alabama yesterday, Chief Justice John Roberts made waves when he pushed back against President Obama's criticism of SCOTUS during January's State of the Union address. Think of it as a very delayed, much subdued, Joe Wilson moment. Here's what he said: (more...)

video The health care summit that framed so much of our weekly news cycle has come and gone, but if the coverage of the event by the major media outlets is any indication, it managed to remind us of the durability of bipartisanship in the media, with pundits on the left and right both sounding off against it: CNN is confused as to the direction Congress will now take, MSNBC's pundits unhappy with the call for compromise, and news anchor Shepard Smith is tired of Congress wasting his time on talk that leads nowhere. (more...)

video This is not a nice story. Fox News is reporting that a trainer at Sea World in Florida was pulled into a tank by Shamu (a killer whale) and killed. Shep Smith reported the breaking story during his Studio B hour - dare I say as only Shep can -- and interviewed a man whose family was one of many to witness the accident. (more...)

video Big Journalism correspondents usually stick to pointing out often legitimate spin against the right wing in the mainstream media, but Archy Cary went one step further to analyze the well-documented media bias against victims of natural and political disasters. Asking "Has Haiti Fallen Victim to the MSM’s Short Attention Span?", Cary notes that the media has been unreliable in following up on the victims of massive humanitarian disasters in the past, specifically in the Cambodian genocide perpetrated by the radical leftist Khmer Rouge. But he called out one journalist who is sticking with the story. (more...)

ratings The overnight ratings are in for Pres. Obama's first State of the Union, and the broadcast networks combined for 30.2 million total viewers during the 9-10:30pm speech. The winner for the night - surprisingly it was FOX, which surely benefited from its American Idol lead-in. (more...)

video Shepard Smith was one of the lucky media members to attend the annual off-the-record lunch with Pres. Barack Obama today ahead of his State of the Union tonight. He reported on the tone of the meeting, the menu and the guy sitting next to him (MSNBC's Chris Matthews) during The Live Desk today. (more...)

amazing video This might be the best thing you watch today (maybe this week, actually, all things considered). This afternoon Fox anchor Shep Smith brought his famous car chase narration abilities to a dog rescue. The dog in question somehow fell into the Los Angeles River this afternoon and Shep followed his increasingly desperate struggle down the river, and subsequent helicopter rescue(!) by the L.A. fire department, as only Shep can. If you don't watch Shepard Smith on a regular basis this is a good chance to see one of the reasons he's so adored. (more...)

video The situation in Haiti has had an interesting effect on US cable news programming: the opinion-based programming that typically dominates the ratings suddenly feels less significant with video of bleeding children trapped under rubble are getting broadcast. As such, the past week has seen more news than opinion on most news outlets. But the partisan detractors have not taken a break, and predictably, Fox News has received criticism for its coverage in Haiti. Last night, Bill O'Reilly pushed back. (more...)

exclusive Fox News reporter Steve Harrigan has covered the war in Afghanistan and Hurricane Katrina. But of the Haiti devastation, he calls it "a mini-Rwanda." Mediaite spoke to Harrigan by phone today, hours after he delivered another heart-wrenching report. (more...)

video This one, from Steve Harrigan and Shepard Smith on Fox News this afternoon was one of those. It was brutally honest - and intensely sad. (more...)

"...a Southern guy who doesn't take himself all that seriously. There's a twinkle in his eye. He gets upset sometimes when he sees injustice. I like that. I think that's needed...Basically, he is very accessible to the folks. The folks believe he's one of them, not some anchorman from Mount Olympus.”

Hey Upper East Siders Internet Readers, Mediaite here, welcoming you back from a dreadfully drab and dour few months away from the glamorous life of New York City's most fabulous fictional teens. While the Gossip Girl kids were falling in summer love and wearing their Hamptons whites out east, we were stuck in sticky downtown, launching a website and working all day. But who better to keep us occupied through the Gossip-less Dog Days than the media's own elites, as glittery and pretty as our prep school friends? Like the Waldorfs, Humphreys and van der Woodsens, even August humidity can't get their hair to frizz and they all love a good scoop. (more...)

video The most recognizable news personality on Fox News, Shepard Smith, is profiled today by Howard Kurtz for The Washington Post. And as the Fox News' opinion hosts permeate the usual discussion about the network, Smith has continued to stick to what he does best. (more...)

video Yesterday afternoon's tragic shooting at Fort Hood saw the cable news networks cover the story wall-to-wall, and continue coverage into prime time. That's when there began to be some separation. Here are five things we learned last night from cable news coverage of the shooting. (more...)

video Fox News anchor Shepard Smith was a guest on The View this morning, and discussed the White House's war with Fox News, Balloon Boy and more. But as Joy Behar noted in her introduction, "When the Obama administration declared war on Fox News, I don't think he had Shepard Smith in mind." (more...)

video One of our favorite anchors Shepard Smith got all 'fair and balanced' during his Studio B newscast today on Fox News. He apologized to the viewers after a segment on the New Jersey Governor race he felt didn't give both sides a fair shake. (more...)

video Fox News' Shepard Smith is one of the most unique, and best, anchors on all of cable news, but he hasn't exactly been new media friendly. That's all changing now - as a new Web site for the 3pmET and 7pmET FNC anchor debuts today. (more...)

Fox News, 3:28pmET: There is a potentially tragic story coming out of American Samoa right now, as reports are coming in of a tsunami hitting the region after a 7.9 earthquake. All the cable news networks have been covering the story, with increased frequency as more news comes in. But sometimes, even in serious stories, the lower third's raise eyebrows. (more...)

Shepard Smith represents the "news" portion of Fox News Channel — and he's telling the New York Times all about it. In a lengthy profile today, Smith tells Bill Carter: "There can't be a Fox News without news." But without Shepard Smith, many of the network's huge base of conservatives would be a bit happier. (more...)