Ex-Fox Newser Carl Cameron Warns Shep Smith’s Exit Means Network Veering More Toward ‘Propaganda… Stuff of Third World Nations’
Former Fox News reporter Carl Cameron lamented the unexpected departure of anchor Shepard Smith from the network and warned that it’s a sign of Fox focusing less on news programming and veering more toward “propaganda, and that’s the stuff of Third World nations.”
Speaking with MSNBC’s Ari Melber, Cameron said that he was “not entirely” surprised that Smith, who has been with Fox News since its founding in 1996, was departing. In addition, Cameron, who has previously expressed his displeasure with Fox News’ near-lockstep pro-Trump opinion programming, described Smith’s departure as yet another blow to the network’s journalistic reputation.
“It is a real sad day for people who watch Fox News and want accurate information because Shep was somebody who you could reliably count on,” Cameron said. “The cable channel has been, for years, shrinking the news department and building its right wing entertainment hosts because that gets ratings, ratings gets revenue, that’s how they make money.”
Shepard Smith Reporting is being replaced by Fox News Reporting, which the network says will feature “a rotating series of news anchors” in the time slot. This week Fox News correspondents covered big Syria developments on the program, including Steve Harrigan in Iraq reporting on the Turkish airstrikes and Jennifer Griffin in Washington covering the responses to and fallout from President Trump’s decision.
Melber pressed Cameron on the impact of Smith’s departure on the network.
“Do you think Shep leaving leaves other people with more power?” Melber asked. “Does it tilt the network towards being partisan defender of the government, because there’s a difference between doing news, doing some discussion of ideas, opinions and ideology, or being aligned with a government.”
“The reality is that without Shep’s show, Fox News’ 24 hour news wheel is down to the Bret Baier show,” Cameron answered. “Most of the rest is predominantly talk.. and the American people need to hear that so they can make good judgments. Otherwise it’s just propaganda, and that’s the stuff of third-world nations, not the one that prides itself as leader of all nations.”
UPDATE — 7:59 pm ET: A Fox News spokesperson responded in a statement provided to Mediaite: “Tell that to Jennifer Griffin whose report just went viral this week. Or Chris Wallace, Bret Baier, Bill Hemmer, Martha MacCallum or Catherine Herridge who have all done outstanding journalism.”
UPDATE — 10/12, 12:17 am ET: In a follow-up statement provided to Mediaite, Fox News said, “Carl Cameron left the network because he was no longer able to show up to work each day – he has a very short memory for our endless compassion, patience and graciousness in dealing with his multitude of personal struggles.”
Watch the video above, via MSNBC.
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