Smith, now host of the evening show “The News with Shepard Smith” at 7 pm ET on CNBC, told Amanpour that his presence on Fox became unsustainable as opinion programs on the network spread falsehoods that the hosts they knew they were lies.
“Give your opinion as much as you want, but if you’re going to give your opinion, start with the truth and give your opinion from there,” said Smith. “When people start with a false premise and lead them astray, it is harmful to society and is the antithesis of what we should be doing: those of us who are so honored and grateful to have a platform of public influence have to use it to the public good. “
Smith, who joined Fox News in 1996, said he was proud of the work he did on the network, presenting a daytime news that was increasingly at odds with what was being broadcast on Fox’s opinion programs. Smith felt that by staying with to Fox News, he could neutralize falsehoods spread by Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson, Laura Ingraham and other primetime presenters.
“I thought it was important to stay there,” he said. “If you think Fox viewers are getting wrong or misinformed information, I was there to make sure they got it right,” he said.
Smith felt that depriving viewers of news and replacing it with opinions “seemed a little selfish,” he added.
For example, in late September 2019, 8:00 pm presenter Tucker Carlson made fun of Smith for defending his friend and fellow judge Andrew Napolitano after the judge was called “a fool” by one of Carlson’s guests. Smith’s lack of a vocal network defense after the incident bothered him and the whole episode influenced his decision to leave, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The network’s executives trusted him to stay, but were unsuccessful. Smith announced his departure on the air and left the building immediately.
“I grabbed as much as I could,” said Smith. “And at some point I realized that I had reached a point of diminishing returns and left.”
Smith told Amanpour that he remains uncomfortable with what is reported on Fox.