A Fair and Balanced Tim Russert Obit

[kpete]

A Fair and Balanced Tim Russert Obit
By Ken Silverstein
Via the Daytona Beach News-Journal:

My sympathies go to Tim Russert’s family. My father died the same way: massive heart attack in the middle of the day, in the prime of his life (he was 46, Russert was 58). Shock doesn’t begin to describe the effect on those who stay behind. Try anger, try a sense of loss that, contrary to greeting-card drivel, never fades until, I expect, one’s own final collapse. Russert wasn’t family, but it’s fair to say, as the casket-lidded lines at the end of obituaries usually do, that his survivors include the 3 million viewers who tuned in every Sunday to watch “Meet the Press,” and even the procession of politicians who’ve been squirming their way through his show since 1991. Sadly for us, television personalities can seem closer to us than family members. Russert, however, never had that effect on me.

Respect for the man aside, there’s a matter of respecting journalism when assessing Russert’s place in the trade. That respect has been lacking in the almost universally fawning tributes to Russert and the craft he represented. Journalists and politicians from the president on down have formed yet another procession of praise and prostrations worthy of, say, Diana or Elvis. But Tim Russert?…

The truth is that on any night of the week Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show” does more in a two-minute segment to show in politicians’ own words how venal, dishonest, contradictory and just plain dense they can be than Russert did in his Sunday services. Russert’s master was always the political structure he grilled, but never fundamentally questioned. You always knew whose side he was on: power, not truth — and, by power, I don’t mean his own, of which he had plenty, but the powerful men and occasional women he invited to his Versailles.

I mourn his death. But I wish I could mourn the death of the journalism he represented. To the detriment of journalism and malinformed citizens, that parody lives on.

http://harpers.org/archive/2008/06/hbc-90003107

[SteppingRazor]

1. Another:

IF IT'S SUNDAY … WHAT NOW?

Tim Russert is dead. For serious political junkies, his passing was like hearing Mr. Rogers had died. But one thing we must consider is that Russert was more than just the guy who occasionally popped in while Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann were anchoring election-night coverage. He was also more than that guy who lowered the bar incredibly on "tough journalism" with his moderating on Meet the Press, in which he'd ask some ridiculous gotcha question by playing back video of some politician speaking out in favor of something he or she was now against, watch impassively while said politician lied to his face, and then fail to call out the politico on his or her lies. Not that I'm one to talk smack of the dead, but, Jesus, if that's tough journalism, I'm Torquemada.

More important than all this, Russert was the Washington bureau chief of NBC News and the managing editor of Meet the Press. As such, he had a huge role in setting the tone and style of election coverage on NBC and MSNBC, which has far outclassed the competition, much like Russert himself, who was a classy bastard till the end. I don't know about you, ace, but thus far in this interminable election season, I have turned to MSNBC for all my cable news needs. CNN is filled with blasé morons (they hired Rick Sanchez, for Christ's sake), and Fox News is the sort of channel Goebbels would drool over.

So how will Russert's death affect the tenor of MSNBC's coverage? It's difficult to say. It's entirely possible that Olbermann could replace Russert and, should McCain win in November, MSNBC will officially call for armed revolution. And that's pretty much the best possible outcome.

http://southflorida.metromix.com/politics/article/danation-cant-find-a/461619/content

[L0oniX]

2. Just curious ...When I think of of journalists, I think about those in the war areas...

who risk their necks to collect the information our government tries so hard to keep from us. Our soldiers killed many journalist from other countries and it is reported that over 100 have been killed or murdered so far. When death of a journalist is the focus, I have to ask just who is really putting it on the line for the sake of the truth and the integrity of their profession. Sure the everyday news must be gathered and broadcast to all but it seems like that is only a dog and pony show compared to those other journalist who put their neck on the line every day and are IMO the real hero's of the news and who's families and friends are deserving of much more sympathy and honor. But, yes we live in an American Idol, tv star worship culture and that is a real dumbing down of America.

Cheers to you Kpete, you always do a wonderful job and I can always count on that from you.