Tim Russert died today
posted by Jeff | Saturday, June 14, 2008, 12:59 AM | comments: 11I didn't watch Meet The Press all that often, but I'm really sad to see that Tim Russert died today of a heart attack, while recording voice-over pieces for this weekend's show.
As a journalist by education at least, I have a lot of respect for the people who have the true leadership to report the news, and go deep into it. Russert was one of those guys, and I loved that he didn't hold back. He'll be missed.
Ever since Peter Jennings died, I've wondered what the future holds for television journalism. The sad thing is that it's not as profitable as it used to be, and worse, American stupidity is willing to pass off something like Fox News as news at all. We're caught in a cyclical chicken-and-egg thing, where media pretending to be journalism is feeding crap to people who want crap. That's unfortunate.
We're very much in a state of flux right now, where it's not clear who the "real" story tellers will be. My only hope is that after eight years of shitty leadership at the top, that Americans start demanding more from their politicians and the journalists that cover them. We need to break the cycle. Russert was a part of that, and I only hope that others can aspire to do the same.
Comments
Rob
June 14, 2008, 7:35 AM #While I strongly disagree with your opinion on Fox News and American stupidity I very much agree that the loss of Tim Russert is huge. He was someone that didn't beat around the bush when it came to his interviews. He would ask the questions that pretty much nobody else would ask. This was something that I had observed during the Democratic Nomination Debates.
I usually knock journalism and their stupid mentality that everything has to be going to hell in a hand basket in order to get ratings, however Tim Russert is no where near that league. He will be missed.
Jeff
June 14, 2008, 2:55 PM #Fox News isn't news. The day they started putting a waving flag in the corner of the screen in 2003, it became pandering entertainment. Suggesting otherwise is an insult to the profession.
I'm looking forward to Rick Shankman's new book. He was on The Daily Show the other day, and I give him a lot of credit for pointing out how things are. His point was pretty much that Americans need to stop blaming the media for everything and own up to the fact that they're too fucking ignorant to elect the right people. Amen to that.
CPLady
June 14, 2008, 3:09 PM #Many people simply do not question what they read or hear from the media anymore. Would that be considered stupidity on their part? Maybe.
It's no secret there are some in the media who feed us bullshit or half truths as part of a political agenda, yet people still do not question. Is McClellan's "coming out" a cry for attention? Or is it coming clean with what really happens. "Tell the people this or be fired"
So many lies have been unearthed in the past 7 years, one would hope the American people will begin questioning what is fed to them instead of taking everything as gospel and following along like sheep.
Rob
June 14, 2008, 3:11 PM #*sigh* I'm sorry both of you are in the tank for Obama. Of course nobody remembers how the media portrayed Fred Thompson and his "trophy wife."
Michelle brought it on herself when she said this the night Obama was elected senator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnMrJwUCZDk
We can play tennis back and forth on this subject, but when you only say that Fox News isn't news and leave the other network news out of it, that's where I disagree with you.
Neuski
June 14, 2008, 3:32 PM #The whole "baby mamma" thing is a petty issue because there are literal and slang definitions, just like many other words in the world.
But please tell me you don't agree with "terrorist fist jab."
For the record, I recognize that most "news" out there is crap, left or right.
CPLady
June 14, 2008, 3:42 PM #You'll note I didn't target any specific news agency either. I said "media". That includes what people read on the net as well.
Believe me, you can find enough "media" to support any view you have. Whether it's accurate or not is what I question.
And excuse me, Rob, for being as "democratic" as I am. But when you've got as much experience under your belt as I do, have lived in poverty and in need of social services that are no longer available, we'll talk.
I don't begrudge you your views and opinions. That's what makes America great...that we CAN express those views. And still retain friendships.
Jeff
June 14, 2008, 4:38 PM #Amen to that. I'd like to think I've lived the American dream as well. I've been on food stamps and my mom made my clothes at one point. In the end I don't consider myself as being all that left leaning, but the current Republican establishment if f'd up. That's an opinion I hold regardless of what the other side thinks. The over simplification that if you aren't red, you're blue, is the first problem. To defend Fox News by justifying its actions by what the other side does isn't an argument at all. Two wrongs blah blah blah.
I happen to believe that the New York Times, ABC News (most of the time), the BBC and Al Jazeera are "real" news sources.
Rob
June 14, 2008, 5:43 PM #I'm not defending Fox News in the least bit. I don't watch them, nor do I even have their channel subscription on satelite. Jeff, you're declaring open season on Fox News and I'm pointing out that Fox News isn't the only problem with the news media. Most of the time it seems the media's job is to shine a flashlight in one direction for the American people to look at while something real is going on. This isn't the first time any news media has reported on a presidential candidate's wife and people seem to think that Fox News is setting a new precident.
We can get into an ideological battle if you want. I'm a Conservative and I'm stickin' to it. I have my own personal reasons for it and I'm glad we can both express our opinions on this without anyone trying to shut anyone down.
I personally don't care if you're democrat or republican. Both of those parties are what's wrong with the country right now. Republicans have no solid Conservative leadership whatsoever and the Democrat party has been hijacked by the far left, even nominating a candidate that is way too far left for this country. The media loves to report about Bush's low approval numbers yet fail to tell the whole story that the American people think Congress is even more worthless.
Jeff
June 14, 2008, 6:28 PM #Media != news. Let's get that straight. They're not one and the same. Jerry Springer is "the media," but he's not news. Respectable journalists don't use "baby mama" to talk about politics. Show me where NYT, ABC, BBC or Al Jazeera would use that term.
You see what you want to see. This same "media" tore Bill Clinton a new asshole over something stupid like banging an intern (which seems pretty silly when compared to dragging us into a war on false pretenses). To suggest that there's some kind of pro-Democrat bias is silly.
If you don't care about Fox News, and don't care to defend it, why would you care if someone slams it? Your flaw in thinking, again, is that everything has to be compartmentalized into black and white, and if it's not one, it's the other. You're trying to rationalize that if Fox (which isn't news) is whacko right, everyone else is whacko left. That just ain't the case.