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    GWOtakuJ.K. Trotter
    5/05/14 5:31pm

    Oh no you don't.

    The original report, via its anonymous source, claimed that Shine was a "major, major homophobe". Now after the denials and the Fox News observation that Shine attended the wedding of Ellen Ratner and Cholene Espinoza, nothing in here refuts or contradicts this account (or engages it at all), nor does this article explicitly stand by that accusation against Shine. Now the story has simply shifted to claim Shine just "flipped out" over supposed concerns over how the Fox News audience would react.

    How about a straight answer: are you, your source and Gawker standing by that original accusation? Or are you trying to get away with still implying it without publishing yet another retraction?

    And frankly, if you're not prepared to 100% stand behind what you've "reported" about Shine, why should anyone believe your new version of events and assertions about what happened?

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      J.K. TrotterGWOtaku
      5/05/14 5:36pm

      How about a straight answer: are you, your source and Gawker standing by that original accusation? Or are you trying to get away with still implying it without publishing yet another retraction?

      The former. The above article was a supplement, not a replacement.

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      GWOtakuJ.K. Trotter
      5/05/14 5:42pm

      Okay, so you have a problem then. You can't just ignore the inconvenient matter of Shine and the wedding. If it is true, which no one has any reason to doubt since you have failed to assert otherwise so far, that calls the credibility of your source into question. If this accusation is wrong, what else could be false? Anything. Maybe everything.

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    Question_of_FactJ.K. Trotter
    5/05/14 6:36pm

    "It's not clear that Smith himself knew how much of this was going on."

    Then how did they "shove [him] back in the closet"? In other words, if he did not know what was going on, then how did it allegedly affect his decision to come out?

    Also, I like how you buried the part where Shep himself called your report "horseshit" in the second to last paragraph.

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      J.K. TrotterQuestion_of_Fact
      5/05/14 6:44pm

      Ailes voiced his resistance to Smith coming out. And when they were ostensibly still discussing this, Fox executives decided to remove him from prime-time. What he likely wasn’t aware of, or certain of, was the decision-making process behind his removal.

      As for the “horseshit” comment — yeah, I don’t know. On one hand, he didn’t actually refer to Gawker by name; on the other hand, he also gave the joint statement (with Ailes) that I quoted in the first paragraph. But I didn’t want to omit it, in any case, and I thought it fit better at the end then elsewhere in the piece.

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      Question_of_FactJ.K. Trotter
      5/05/14 7:07pm

      "[H]e also gave the joint statement (with Ailes) that I quoted in the first paragraph."

      You didn't identify it as a joint statement in the first paragraph, you say: "Fox News called the report 100% false and a complete fabrication[.]" You don't acknowledge the fact that Shep denied your report until the second to last paragraph. Just seems a little disingenuous to brush off the fact that the person who was allegedly swayed to not come out of the closet forcefully denied the same.

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    TheLostShameofCharlieSheenJ.K. Trotter
    5/05/14 7:27pm

    I find it interesting instead of the standard trolly Fox response to any negative story or criticism, Ailes and company are denying they're homophobes and enlisted random gay people to say how accepting of the gays they are. Where are the "Gawker is a jealous, barely read, gossip rag that isn't fit to breathe Fox News's name" statements?

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      J.K. TrotterTheLostShameofCharlieSheen
      5/05/14 7:37pm

      I KNOW. When I first saw that Fox responded, I started reading and kept waiting for them to unleash their well-known venom.

      I was very disappointed.

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    RBrianJ.K. Trotter
    5/06/14 1:30am

    You have Shep and Ailes denying it and that your report is false. Coupled with the not FOX friendly Politico saying Gawker and Trotter are wrong and called you out on inaccuracies makes this look like a double down on bad reporting.

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      J.K. TrotterRBrian
      5/06/14 12:35pm

      Um, Politico is pretty friendly to Fox. The site literally ran an article titled: “FRIENDS PUSH AILES FOR PRESIDENT”

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    Sergio HernandezJ.K. Trotter
    5/05/14 4:14pm

    I asked this on the last post, but it probably got buried because I left the comment fairly late in the news cycle. I'm curious if any lawerly types around here know whether Smith would have any claim against Fox here (specifically, say, if he tried to go to another network and Fox invoked a noncompete clause)?

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      J.K. TrotterSergio Hernandez
      5/05/14 4:20pm

      Interested in this, too.

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    sizor_sisterJ.K. Trotter
    5/05/14 4:12pm

    Shepard Smith doesn't need you to speak for him. In fact he has spoken, and it called it "horseshit." That's the issue with this whole trying to "out" people. You're putting people in positions that they don't deserve to be in. You're trying to speak for them when in fact you don't know what's best for them or don't know what they actually desire. You're being as oppressive as the people you're calling oppressive.

    If you dislike Fox News and Roger Ailes fine, but don't use someone's sexuality and personal life to attack those two things.

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      firstlinegrindersizor_sister
      5/05/14 4:22pm

      I don't get you people. Gawker is a gossip blog and always has been. Where did this idea that this is some tumblr social justice love-in come from?

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      Billlingtonfirstlinegrinder
      5/05/14 4:27pm

      because a lot of times, Gawker tries very hard to be that very thing.

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    MaineIdeasJ.K. Trotter
    5/05/14 4:05pm

    Pretty sure nobody cares if he's gay.

    The self-importance and righteousness of coming out and/or being gay these days is quite the phenomenon. It's an easy decision, and if you listen to most there's nothing you can do about it... so why do we still celebrate these things?

    A truly free America is one where you can tell me you're gay and I can tell you that I honestly don't care at all.

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      Karljohan PettersenMaineIdeas
      5/05/14 4:08pm

      I'm not sure, but you may just have told me that you're an idiot and I honestly don't care at all. Freedom!

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      MaineIdeasKarljohan Pettersen
      5/05/14 4:22pm

      You can think that and I don't mind.

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    corey3rdJ.K. Trotter
    5/05/14 4:17pm

    As we all know, Shepard Smith is a raging heterosexual who often has sex with 12 or more women in a weekend around NYC. Bill O'Reilly often calls up Shep for tips on how to please a woman and not just using a falafel. Shep has rumored to have completely rented out the Bunny Ranch on numerous weekends so he can recharge his breaking news batteries. I've heard from reliable sources that Shep is about to marry Liza Minelli. That's how straight he is. Stop spreading these lies. Shep is a horndog for the ladies.

    Frankly I don't want Shep near my wife cause I know he'll be all over her with his raging heterosexual hormones.

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      beensoburnedcorey3rd
      5/05/14 7:50pm

      You're getting your rich white guys confused. That's Eric Schmidt. Shep does indeed like it up the butt. Which is cool with me. The gayest thing on Fox News since Lindsey Graham.

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      JakeGittescorey3rd
      5/05/14 8:03pm

      He just knocked up my wife. With his super hetero sperm. From 2,000 miles away. That's how straight Shep is.

      That's what my wife told me, anyway.

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    keyboardcatJ.K. Trotter
    5/05/14 4:03pm

    I could never stand Shep. From what I heard about him from my then roommate that wrote the copy for FOX NEws reporters. He sounded obnoxious. I don't know why they don't use the fact that he's gay as an advantage instead of trying to hide it. I guess they're proud of their conservative look.

    I think Smith is one tell all book away from destroying them.

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      PopChipsJ.K. Trotter
      5/05/14 5:22pm

      I'm just not interested in allocating any thought to this man. I'd much rather focus on the courageous every day LGBT folks, like Edie Windsor, who live out and proud lives and are working to make things better for the community or the high school kid who's enduring bullying because of his sexuality.

      But, worry about some grown man who's basically a chicken-shit? Not interested.

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