Some thoughts on Tim Russert

By Ron Beasley

As a 62 year old who has lost five friends to sudden death in the last three years I was distressed to hear of Tim Russert's death today.  I like many on the left and the right have been critical of Russert the last few years.  There was a time a time when he was a decent journalist.  What used to pass a TV news has morphed into infotainment.  I see Russert as a victim of this change.  Entertainment requires stars and Tim Russert went from a journalist to a millionaire news super star - hardly something a man who's father drove a garbage truck could pass up.  But he could no longer be an effective journalist.  He could no longer demand the truth from those in power because he lived next to those same people, went to the same cocktail parties and saw them at his son's school.  One of the reasons this country is in such trouble is that is was not just Tim but all of what we used to think of as journalism.

Comments

[geoff]

Though I don't follow the US weekend "news" shows much, I had thought that based on the revelations during the Scooter Libby trial about the Russert being in the VPs pocket, a push-over interviewer, a patsy, etc. etc. the guy was a joke as a "journalist". Wasn't that what was being noted and written about at the time? Only glowing praise about his stellar journalist talents, now. Maybe sudden death can result in a bit of temporary amnesia. Someone should ask Gore Vidal his opinion of Russert, in his new bitchier than ever mood, he doesn't care about calling spades spades even if the guy hasn't finished being embalmed yet. Course I don't know whether GV knew him or about him but I'd bet he have a refreshing opinion.

[whomever1]

Give the guy a break. I mean, if I thought he had any integrity, I could fantasize he was just about to break a hard-hitting story on administrative corruption before he suddenly and unexpectedly died.

[Libby]

Geoff, there's a tradition here that people don't speak ill of the dead, at least not immediately. I'd be surprised if you don't see some more critical eulogies in the next couple of days, at least in Blogtopia.

[E]

Was I the only one who thought the nonstop coverage of his death was a wee bit overwrought? I mean no disrespect, but I thought the length and depth of the coverage bordered on that of an assassinated president or something.