Phil Rosenthal writes about Shepard Smith and The Fox Report in today’s Chicago Tribune. Excerpts:
• “The fact that we’re getting (almost) 2 million people a night to watch a strictly news (program),” Smith tells Rosenthal, “says a lot about how much people are interested in ‘just the facts’ news. I think you’re better able to digest the opinions if you have that.”
• Asked about Smith, NBC’s David Gregory says, “Shepard Smith is a first-rate journalist and broadcaster. I’ve thought that for a long time, with his reporting on Katrina and other matters. He’s worked hard to set himself apart in the landscape of Fox News.”
• After interviewing Fox News SVP Michael Clemente, who previously worked at ABC News, Rosenthal writes, “Clemente noted that ABC, like so many news outfits of late, has downsized the organization it accumulated over decades, while Fox News…continues to build and is uniquely positioned to benefit from upping its straight-news capabilities in this era of seemingly ubiquitous headlines.”