Unceremonious Retirement
June 14th, 2008 at 10:04pm Mitch Mulhall 171
Tim Russert's untimely demise has down-shifted every serious journalist in captivity into a 24-7 coverage of their own grief. No doubt Russert's death warrants attention. He was damn good at what he did, no matter what his critics said. But please let us seek some perspective here. If you have a pulpit on a TV network, what compels you to thrust a colleague's tragic death into the news cycle? I've seen too many red-nosed, blood-shot-eyed news types since Russert's unfortunate passing. It's great that Russert lived well, so well that his circle of friendship eclipsed mere acquaintance. I'm certain I'm not the only one who yearns for letting the Russert family grieve in peace...
But, since that's not the way it's going to be, my favorite Russert clip is when he interviewed Christopher Hitchens and Andrew Sullivan. Sullivan lost his train of thought and Hitchens turned to him and said, "Oh, don't be such a lesbian." Or something like that. I can't find the clip on youtube, but I'm fairly certain there's a reason why the camera focused on Hitchens and Sullivan rather than Russert. I believe the gaff occurred in this interview:
Update: Ah, here it is, in segment 4:
Cheers,
2 Comments Add your own
1. steve@goldenberg.com | June 16th, 2008 at 6:21 am
The reason for all the attention is that Tim Russert was a good man. He cared for all the people he worked with and their families. He was truly concerned regardless of their position. He did things with them. You're not really someone's friend unless you do things with them, other than work or having diner. A bike ride, a hike, a trip together, a ball game, fishing. Those are the things Tim did that made him such a unique, memorable, likable person that so many considered part of their extended family. That's all in addition to the fine work he did with dedication, honestly and knowledge. The lesson I learned from the weekend coverage is that if you agree to show up, be prepared.
2. Mitch Mulhall | June 16th, 2008 at 7:37 am
[The reason for all the attention is that Tim Russert was a good man.]
I get all that. I never met him, but I liked him--which is to say, I respected him. Russert put more stock in clear-minded analysis than in upholding this-or-that political view. I have a hunch about his political leanings, but my conclusion is based more on his resume than anything I heard him say from his media stage.
Thanks for the comment, Steve...
Cheers,
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