The outpouring of grief over Tim Russert's untimely death today, at age 58, shows both the high esteem and affection that Americans hold for television journalists who protect our interests as untiring champions of the First Amendment.
When Thomas Jefferson and our Founding Fathers made the press the crucial guardians of our government - the watchdogs whose job it was to report to the American people what their government was really up to - Jefferson must have the likes of Tim Russert, and his unceasing speaking of truth to power, in mind.
He was not only the moderator of Meet the Press since 1991 - by far the most memorable - but he was NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief. He was one of the few who spanned traditional network and cable news, with his CNBC/MSNBC interview show. And he made a great guest appearance on Homicide: Life On Street, playing himself as character Lt. Megan Russert's cousin.
There are less than a handful of television reporters and anchors who in their different ways defined their genre and their age. Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite (who is still with us), and Tim Russert.
4 comments:
Amen.
shocking and sad as he appeared to be so full of life and enjoying everything he did.
In reading the names you mentioned, it dawned on me how difficult it is going to be in today's era for Meet the Press or network news in general to bring us personalities such as Tim's with a personal connection with such gravitas.
I thought it was touching, watching some of the coverage on Friday night, to see the lines between networks really break down. The boundaries between CNN, FOX, MSNBC, ABC, etc., to a large extent ceased to matter. Campbell Brown was openly talking about what it was like for her when she moved from NBC to CNN, and how Tim Russert played a part in that decision. Anchors on FOX were talking about how much they respected Russert. Because these people all work with each other and interact with each other behind the scenes, and to a large extent, the network look and feel is a facade put on for the viewers to capture ratings, big interviews, advertising dollars, etc. It was very moving to see those lines break down and see people become just fellow professionals wanting to memorialize a colleague they respected.
Good point, Jessica - I had the same initial thought as you (about Campbell Brown on CNN), but you developed it further and better.
Jersey Todd: Yes, it will be difficult. But my guess is someone, with a different personality from Tim Russert, will arise (just as Tim Russert was very different from Cronkite).
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