Russert-Mania

You can chalk up the following to jealousy if you wish. When I die I am sure to be mourned by my wife, my sons, and my cat. Maybe. I'm not so sure about the cat. When Tim Russert died last week I watched with amazement the unending flow of homage, the tributes, and the tears, most of it genuine, some of it self-serving, all of it repeated on a twenty four hour cycle. On every channel, every cable news show there were Russert's best friends -- there appeared to be so many that the poor man must have had a hard time getting any work done. There is soon to be a People magazine cover of Russert, possibly replacing Tiger Woods or Angelina Jolie. No doubt about it, this was a love fest unseen since Woodstock, only here youthful nudity was replaced by tearful anecdotes as to what a good guy was gone, what a great reporter was now silenced, and what a super husband and father, what a noble son was lost too soon. And too soon it was. No man should die at the height of his powers at 58. Truly a sad event. Russert was at the top of his game when he died. And yet... and yet... something didn't smell right to me.

I can recall the death of Edward R. Murrow, a journalist who changed the course of history with his war reportage and his probing peace-time questions. First, he brought to us the suffering and the grit of Londoners during the Blitz. And then, he single-handedly started the movement to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy, who was recklessly poisoning the well of this democracy. When Murrow died, many mourned, but it was nothing compared to the grief-o-rama shown by the media for Russert these past days. What I finally concluded was that this mourning for Russert on the part of his fellow journalists was self-serving, it was "Look at us; we're not such bad guys after all. Jolly Tim was a good guy -- and we're good guys too if you only take the time to look."

Come on folks; let's face a few inconvenient facts. For the past eight years we have been lied into a dreadful, failed war, the economy has been mismanaged into a recession, America has lost its reputation as the bastion of good-government (thanks to the tortured bodies and tortured truths of the Bush years); soaring gas prices promise inflationary prices on basics such as food; thousands of old people will not be able to afford their medications, and thousands of young people will be denied a higher education, it was a time when the rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and the middle class got squeezed as never before. And this happened on Mr. Russert's watch.

Russert was in no way responsible for these events; he was after all a journalist not a law maker and a pretty good journalist too. But as a Meet the Press news-watcher I marveled at Russert's alleged fairness which gave the same respect to Dick Cheney's lies as it did to Al Gore's truths. Fair is the operative word here. Tim Russert was always fair -- and to be always fair to your powerful guests means that you are often if not always unfair to your powerless country. Where were the probing questions on Meet the Press in the run up to the war? Here was this devoutly religious journalist who managed to compartmentalize his morality so that it never spoke up on critical issues that affected this country deeply. Sad to say, Mr. Russert was just a more genial version of the mainstream press -- another guy who failed to do his job properly, but failed while looking jolly when helped make his failure appear to be a success. He had something close to the bully pulpit in Meet the Press, and with his failure to probe deeply for the truth, it cost the lives of so many Americans and Iraqis, and the consequences of his unasked questions will be with us for decades to come. Without taking back a word of the above I wish him to rest in peace, and feel for his family in their loss, for he was clearly a good and loving man. Just not a very good journalist if you believe that a journalist should have but one friend -- the truth.

Comments

[midtown]

Yellen hits it on the head. And why doesn't someone acknowledge the real truth of Russert's popularity: what Don Imus did for him in over 150 appearances during early morning drives to work. His son, Luke, should be ashamed for not mentioning what Imus did to make Russert known to million of Americans who dont give a damn about MTP.

Do you honestly think MTP was that popular? Not a chance. There isn't a single MTP Neilsen rating in the past 15 years that explains Russert's popularity. But Imus' ratings do. And so do Imus' efforts to make Russert's books hit the NYT Bestseller List twice long after pub date.

[Davwbaird]

MSM free ride to Bush and McCain, MSM bad on obama that time with Brian Williams, truth escapes them all including the good man Russett. He Will become the symbol that will doom America to endless unchallenged lies.

[liberalsrheros]

msnbc finally had a scoop they didn't need to leave the building for...accounts for some of the wall to wall.

he did play gotcha on sunday mornings lots of times on stuff that was already old news. often his follow up questions were so scripted that even when an answer was expansive enough to cover it ahead of time, he ask it anyway, so he could put some graphic or clip up.

his glee about a contested convention was just weird, yeah great story for the press tim, what about the issues? crickets.

by all accounts a sweet man with a good heart.

hopefully we'll get someone that goes beyond just getting the talking points on the record

[IowaGirl]

I completely agree with this blog. The sheer fact that all of the political and media elite are in quite-public mourning for this man is testament to his failure as a journalist. Journalists who actually turn up a few inconvenient facts about the powerful bad guys in the world--the Greg Palasts, Eric Altermans, Patrick Cockburns, Greg Monbiots of the world, et. al.--will NOT be mourned by the powerful upon their deaths.

That Tim Russert was a nice guy, there seems to be little doubt (except for his possibly banning Ariana H. from NBC, hah). That he was completely unable to speak truth to power when truth was desperately needed--also no doubt.

[BOBERT24]

its a shame you feel this way.. somehow u have forgotten that it was cheyney on meet the press who said we would be greeted as liberators in Iraq.. probably the most memorable line in this entire war.. he was the one who turned the dem election around with the debate in phila at drexel university . go back to 1991 when he first started on Meet the Press and his grilling of David Duke who was days away from being a Governor .. whether a dem or rep, you recd fair questioning and were always treated with respect. otherwise no pol would have ever gone on his show.. it was considered a badge of honor and we americans all knew it....i dont think there is a adult american alive today who didnt at least know who he was.. 100 million people.. or more.. .. that is why people are saddened.. he was on americas side.. he was the referee, the judge, the arbitar, and we counted on him to do that for us.. where else can you turn in todays tv world for objective reporting and questioning.. . every single broadcaster left is biased in some form......he was one of a kind in todays medium and that is why we mourn and reflect with sadness at the loss of a great every man.........

[Davwbaird]

He supported the war. no doubt and did not question. Where were you?

[Zeje]

I agree. We mourn his death -- but wall to wall coverage as if there was nothing else going on in the world -- too much. The MSM loves itself too much.

[MariaHopeful]

Chris Matthews (on his first time on air after Tim's death) said that Tim Russert bought the need for the war. He said, in so many words, that Tim Russert represented ordinary Americans because of his working class background, and so, he (apparently) loved this country more than anyone else and wanted it to be safe and so he bought into the fear that was being sold by the Administration. Tim Russert bought into the need for war and thus (maybe unconsciously) sold the need for war. I am saddened by the death of Tim - and frightened. I know that this must be devastating for his co-workers but please, this is unlike anything we have ever seen before. And this is the rub: NBC and MSNBC - as Bill Clinton said about his affair with Monica - did it because they could. One whole day passed on MSNBC without a mention of the thousands of displaced and suffering people in Iowa.

MSNBC has been trying to represent itself as the place for politics, but quite clearly it is not ready for any such mantra. The on-air personalities, for the most part, are like giddy kids in a candy store and they have bought into the "teaser" questions to frame issues. They deal with process rather than substance. BTW, the floods will impact politics in a major way. So far it is being covered the same way they would cover a car crash on the highway. Very disappointing.

[wm1066]

Thank you.
You have articulated something that has been on my mind for a few days know.
Once again the media has gone overboard in reporting this.
Tim was okay, he wasn't a' Lion ' though.
He was tepid on holding this Administration accountable.

[LABC]

Amen - I am sorry for his family and having a loved one in his 50's - you always think of the fragility of life. However, he did have a bully pulpit with his show and it would have been great to see him use it hold this administration's feet to fire when it could have been effective. I am afraid that he suffered from what a lot of inside the beltway journalists suffer from - a tendency to cozy up to the very people we ordinary folks look to for answers and accountability.

That said, I liked his show and hope its next moderator finds a stronger voice and does Russert proud...and one better

[HeevenSteven]

I completely agree with you. It's about time for a sanity check here. Russert is the poster boy for all that's wrong with the MSM.

[DietrichMoody]

Thanks for having the courage to bring this up and talk about reality. What other celebrity news person or celebrity, for that matter, is going to blog about the passing of, who appeared to be, a very nice gentleman. Listin, it's hard to question the untimely mourning of a celebrated and popular dead man without coming off as cynical, jealous or making it look like you are doing the unconscionable. You are coming across as reasonable. Thanks.


But, the news goes on. News that will affect all our future - Russert has become part of our past. For example, the day Russert died, 4 marines died in Afghanistan and over 800 Taliban Prisoners escaped from an Afghan prison. Guess who was in Afghanistan? Brian Williams, anchor of NBC News, not reporting this.

It's sad that the man died, but in the end of the day, 70 percent of the public still thinks that the MSM is out of touch. This is not going to change in this climate and dynamic. There are still thousands of people in the MSM that have the power to shape news and are going about it the wrong way. And right now, they are doing everything they can to deflect the real news, while having, what truthfully looks like a celebrity pitty party.

[timinhi]

Sherman--
I totally, absolutely agree with your post. Prepare yourself for the onslaught of commentors who will totally miss your point and say you're a big meany and are speaking ill of the dead. You & I probably disagree on what points Russert belied his image of being a "fair" journalist, but I think the criticism is still valid. Keep up the good work.

P.S.--
RE: your comments about pundits memorializing Russert for "self-serving" reasons--While I am generally a fan of James Carville, I thought he & Mary Matalin "breaking down" and sobbing during the "Meet the Press" love-fest was especially over the top.

[MariaHopeful]

I would give them the benefit of the doubt. They are not my favorite couple but they seemed to have been very close to Tim. Heck, I didn't even know the man and I was crying. But once again the media is showing that it marches to the beat of its own drum. They decide.

[Portnoy]

Who's your idea of a fiar journalist? Keith Olbermann? LOL!

[WorkingClass]

I'm so grateful for this article. Tim Russert was a well known television personality like Jay Leno. From the endless saccharine eulogies you would think he was a cross between Abraham Lincoln and Jesus Christ.

[Artistry]

Sir, Did you believe there were weapons of mass destruction, were you afraid when Condi Rice
spoke about the "mushroom cloud". I am sure you did, and you were. Most of all, whom did you vote for, because the tone you take as you say, smells a little funny. If you did not like Mr. Russert, fine, but please don't dump stupid stuff at his feet, unless you wrote about this stuff when he was alive. Just wondering. Tim Russert did more to ferret out the truth from politicians than most journalists. He even (be it after the war was ongoing) asked W if the Iraq war was a war of choice or expedience, and the President looked at him like he was speaking a foreign language. So the media, collectively allowed them to perpetrate a sham which has cost America many lives. Have you been sounding the alarm that the Writ of Habeas Corpus has been taken away, unless Congress has reinstated it ,it is still not in effect? So are you sounding alarms, have you spoken out about deplorable conditions at Walter Reed Hospital? So unless you can say yes to a myriad of subjects that this administration has been direlict on, please count yourself in with those who have not been seeking the "truth". We loved and respected Mr. Russert, because of who he was, and was not any angry person, without a funny bone. You have a great day, and keep on searching for that "truth".

[lanrameau]

I'm glad someone finally said this. Bile now receding.

[peterg76]

Yes, Mr. Russert's death was unfortunate, but the coverage - this article included - was not about Russert, it was a media circus of shameless self-absorbed narcissism. It's time for journalists to get back to the real news.

[sistersvet]

Yo "Artistry" how did you ever get to a keyboard to write that trite little paen to Timmah? Most people like you, that is folks with cranial rectal inversion, can't walk or type with their heads buried like yours seems to be.