![]() ![]() There's infinite competition for eyeballs and, honestly, a limited amount of scandal out there. I know we're all chasing our own tails here. Yet faster than you can say "update," the story had taken wings Wednesday, with Slate regurgitating, "Fox Allegedly Demoted Shepard Smith Because He Asked to Come Out" and shaking its head that "This doesn't look good for the news network," while New York asked, "Did Fox News Force Shep Smith to Stay Closeted?" The Daily Beast, meanwhile, went all in with a single paragraph saying that "Fox Allegedly Kept Anchor in the Closet." My second favorite part is where Gawker updates the story to note that Shine actually didn't attend said picnic, that Ailes and Smith call the story "100% false and a complete fabrication," and then clarifies the timeline of Smith's contract negotiations to acknowledge they occurred before the controversial picnic. My favorite part of the whole thing is when Trotter congratulates his own vigilant "reporting" as the reason Smith attended a Fox gay journalists gala in March. The latest asks, "Why hasn’t Shepard Smith come out yet?" and cites "multiple sources" who say Smith discussed coming out to Fox News president Roger Ailes but that "Ailes' answer was definitive: Smith could not say he's gay." Furthermore, Gawker claims Smith was "demoted" after executive vice president of programming Bill Shine "flipped out" at a "dramatic" July 4 picnic that Smith allegedly brought a boyfriend to, leading Shine to call a meeting "among high-level executives to discuss a plan of action regarding Smith." Not one of the "insider" sources at Fox is named. ![]() Trotter has run several stories focusing on Smith's sexuality in the past few months, while Smith, for his part, remains private about his relationships and orientation. Smith, generally regarded as the closest thing to a likable, rational-thinking individual in the Fox News stable, is a frequent obsession of Gawker and Trotter, in particular, who's pretty determined to reveal to the world Smith's personal life, regardless of how weird or flat-out harassing he may come off as in the process. Who cares if the story itself had serious inconsistencies? Aggregate first, ask questions later – if at all! Trotter published a piece alleging that "Fox News Shoved Shepard Smith Back Into the Closet" and asking, "Why hasn’t Shepard Smith come out yet?" By Wednesday afternoon, the story had been picked up and repeated ad nauseam throughout the media-on-media vortex of self-absorption.
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