|
|
June 13, 2008Tim Russert - RIP - UPDATEDIt is very sad to hear of the sudden death of NBC’s Tim Russert - to my mind among the last of the truly great, ethical and honorable “old style” journalists, who managed to be tough but usually fair. Tim Russert was a father and son who adored and respected his family, worshiped his God, and tried to stay true to the highest ideals of his profession. What greater accolades may be heaped upon any man’s memory, it is difficult to say. I’ll always remember the extraordinary episode of Meet the Press hosted by Russert the Christmas of 2001, following 9/11. His guests were then-NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Laura Bush and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, and together these four simply sat around a table and talked about life, family, love, duty, country and faith, and the US Navy Brass Sextet played carols. Some criticized Russert for it, looking only at political party and religion, but I recall it as a remarkably cozy, thought-provoking and moving bit of television, and I remember being really grateful for it, and wishing I’d taped it. We’ll be reading a lot over the next few days about Tim Russert’s impact on the Sunday News Show format, his integrity and hard work, his preparedness, and also about his gregariousness, his humor and humanity. One hopes that his colleagues, out of respect for Russert’s memory and by example of his own ethics, may rededicate themselves to the ideals of journalism that have been subsumed over the past 10 years by the urge to sensationalism, bias and cartoonish bravado, a temptation Russert mostly managed to avoid. Russert didn’t need to sink to those levels; he was a journalist. He just did his homework and asked the pertinent questions, no matter who that ticked off, right (usually) or left (recently). He managed to ask the question that precipitated the end of Hillary Clinton’s presidential hopes: RIP Tim Russert. You’ll be missed. My prayers go out to his wife, his son, his father, and all who loved him. There’s a nice roundup of praise and remembrance, here. UPDATES: Asymptomatic coronary artery disease. His b/p was controlled, cholesterol “optimal” - he had a stress test in late April and did very well. His doctor talks about it here. Could be describing so many of us… Meanwhile - Chris Matthews hits rock bottom. I’m still under the gun re paying work, but others are following the story very closely: http://theanchoressonline.com/2008/06/13/tim-russert-rip/trackback/ 13 Responses to “Tim Russert - RIP - UPDATED” |
June 13th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Tim Russert Dead at 58…
NBC moderator and newsman Tim Russert collapsed and died today at work, apparently of a heart attack. Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. Kim adds:……
June 13th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Thank you for this post, the video and the links, Anchoress. I had forgotten this exchange.
June 13th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
BTW GatewayPundit link is really the Hot Air link
Here is the link for the item on GatewayPundit’s site
[linked above, thanks - admin]
June 13th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Tim Russert Dies of Heart Attack…
Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” collapsed at the NBC’s Washington News bureau and died of a heart attack this afternoon while recording voice overs for Meet the Press. He was 58 years o……
June 13th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
[...] see the Anchoress’ post on Russert Tim Russert [...]
June 13th, 2008 at 7:33 pm
[...] Hat Tip The Anchoress - Matthew Yglesias might want to chide his commenters. Some of the most disrespectful, disgusting [...]
June 13th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
[...] II: –The Anchoress: We’ll be reading a lot over the next few days about Tim Russert’s impact on the Sunday News [...]
June 14th, 2008 at 10:02 am
I will miss him. I thought he was fair, in the scheme of things, and I appreciate that he set the bar high. He was relentless about getting a response that was specific, and that alone made me like him.
I always loved what he said about his son: he wondered how can I teach him he’s fortunate but not entitled? A great question for a parent to ask.
RIP. God Bless his wife and son, and his friends.
June 15th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
[...] up for what he believed in, not what the media machine expected him to dish out. The Anchoress challenges his colleagues to rever his memory by practicing what he preached: One hopes that his colleagues, out of respect [...]
June 16th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Are there any other sites carrying the Russert video The Anchoress links here? YouTube has taken it down (as they do most interesting or meaningful videos as soon as word gets out about them).
June 27th, 2008 at 4:21 am
[...] Tim Russert, RIP Luke Russert, A Father’s Best Legacy by TheAnchoress @ 4:21 am. Filed under Bush Good, [...]
July 12th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
[...] Tim Russert, Snow was a class-act. We needed both of them to stick around longer, to help us find some sanity [...]
July 12th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
[...] Tim Russert, Snow was a class-act. We needed both of them to stick around longer, to help us find some sanity [...]