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| Shepard Smith |
And in a surprise announcement, Smith said he would personally donate $500,000 to the Committee to Protect Journalists, a nonprofit group that advances press freedoms around the world.
“Intimidation and vilification of the press is now a global phenomenon. We don’t have to look far for evidence of that,” Mr. Smith said at the group’s annual dinner in Midtown Manhattan, an appearance he signed up for before he left Fox News, his television home of 23 years.
The crowd at the black-tie fund-raiser — which draws leading reporters, editors and executives from across the media industry — rose to its feet and applauded after Mr. Smith revealed his donation.
The dinner, formally known as the International Press Freedom Awards, recognized journalists who had persevered through hardship and government oppression in Brazil, India, Nicaragua and Tanzania. Mr. Smith served as M.C., and while he did not mention President Trump by name, his remarks brought knowing nods from the crowd at the Grand Hyatt hotel ballroom.
Smith’s experience at Fox News was a far cry from those of the honorees, who faced censorship, intimidation and imprisonment. But the anchor can relate to being the subject of insults and ire from a head of state.
Trump made Mr. Smith into a favorite punching bag, taunting him as Fox News’s “lowest-rated anchor” and routinely complaining about his coverage of the White House. Smith had not hesitated to attack the president on the air, calling him out for falsehoods and denouncing his harsh language.
In his speech on Thursday, Smith refrained from addressing his time at Fox News or the network’s coverage of the Trump administration. Fox News was a main sponsor of the dinner, and several of the network’s journalists attended, including FOX News' Jennifer Griffin and White House correspondent John Roberts.
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