Tim Russert
Conroy called me this afternoon. Like most of my non - face to face interaction with close personal friends, Conroy and I keep our daily chit chat as efficient as possible. We text (i.e. omg!!! andre 3000 at studio city trader joes! wearing suspenders and a straw hat!!!!!). If I get a call from him during the day, which I hardly ever do, it usually has to do with CNN alerts (that go straight to his phone because he is a dork and i mean that as a compliment), usually of a wonky, political nature. American politics is pretty much my favorite topic of conversation no matter how arcane, so I always pick up. When I answered the phone today I was expecting an outraged kerfuffle about the dissenting opinions on the Supreme Court decision regarding Gitmo. Or something like that. Right now, I wish that I had been right.
conroy: ”i just got a cnn alert. i think tim russert is dead. he collapsed at nbc’s washington bureau”
me: “what???!!!”
conroy: “…………”
me: “…………”
Frankly, I was surprised by how hard it was for me to hear this news. The first thing I thought about was Mr. Russert’s sign off on Meet The Press last weekend when he gave a proud shout out to his son Luke to congratulate the boy on his graduation from Boston College. In true Russert style, the moment was brief, to the point and with no self aggrandizement. I then began to think about the amazing interviews that he was on the receiving end of as he promoted the book that he wrote about his dad, Big Russ, who has now outlived him. I have no idea where the feeling came from, but I started crying.
What a terrible loss. On so many levels. Tim Russert was one of the best that American journalism had to offer. His interviews with political figures could always be counted on for unparalleled substance and depth. His unabashed adoration and respect for his family gave him a humanity that engendered trust from his audience and admiration from his peers. Like most grown ups, he approached our rapidly changing society and world with common sense so rarely reflected in today’s political coverage. His journalistic ethos transcended the mindless chest thumping that has turned most political debate into shrill, partisan ghettos.
My only hope is that the loss of Tim Russert will be instructive. I hope that American journalists will take this opportunity to look at how they have failed us in recent history. It is now time to reinvigorate the standards that our journalists were once known for and to uphold the uncompromising character that seemed so effortless in the hands of a guy who passionately loved to find truth in an arena that hates to reveal it.
-xok