FOX News may be known for its hardline opinions – but Shepard Smith, host of FOX Report, told me his show’s coverage of the Republican National Convention (RNC) is anything but opinionated. While FOX News has a line-up of The O’Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes, Shepard thinks his show answers another demand viewers have – straight news.

“We have a lot of opinion on our channel and we make a lot of money for it – but it’s just not really what I’m into. In this sea of opinion, viewers like to get some news – and that’s what we’re doing.”

While Smith has been broadcasting from the RNC in what is called The Strategy Room, he is also part of the FOX News Channel’s multifaceted effort to bring the public inside the’08 conventions. The channel has 24-hour-live streaming video, personal blogs called Delegate Diaries and interactive maps. According to the network this new media push helps to “reverse the lines of communication and let in members of the public.”

But in particular, Smith mentioned how FOX’s new tools help to reach out to young people.

“We always talk about how important the youth vote is, but this time we’re not lying. I’ve just never seen people so engaged…and with social networking sites people have a new kind of friend that old people don’t understand. It’s a whole new way of getting young people from the gates into the barn.”

 “Everybody’s looking for a young audience – everyone is looking for the MTV audience. You can find headlines anywhere you want it, but a different perspective and a different way of looking at things – that is what we are offering.”