Monday, June 16, 2008

Overdone Russert

Seems like Tim Russert was a very nice man and good at what he did, but I have to agree with this guy.

 

(13) Comments
Posted by Wendy at 1259 hrs
Politics + Politics - General

  1. I agree.  Politics will never be the same without Mr. Russert stoking the coals.  But seriously, did we really need a 24 hour long “Remembering Russert” program?  You’d think the Pope had died or the President was shot.  Too much.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 16, 2008 at 1342 hrs


  2. I agree.  More generally speaking, though, I’m also bothered by the rise of the cable news Talking Head.  Russert may have been one of the better ones, but when it comes right down to it many of their questions are inane, and they do almost no genuine investigative reporting.  They are a net negative on the American mediascape.  And regarding those who are called “pundits,” I don’t believe they’re any better at predicting the future than I am.

    I’ve had it with the TV news personality inanity.  I’ve had it with the lack of good journalism.  I’ve had it with the professionally angry who seemingly get paid to shout political talking points at each other.

    Posted by scott on June 16, 2008 at 1342 hrs


  3. I’ll come out and say it - I don’t really like Tim Russert, or at least his TV persona. The sort of journalism that he practiced, where he would find an old quote ripped from its context, or an obscure fact or statistic, and brandish it like a sword at his interviewee, has made us generally less informed, not more.

    By all accounts, he was a gentleman off-screen, and my prayers are with his family and friends. But I don’t believe that his tenure on Meet the Press deserves deification just because the man died.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 16, 2008 at 1443 hrs


  4. Wether its a week long “farewell to Katie” on the Today Show, or the Russert coverage or whatever…

    It seems to me that there’s too much ado about personalities and celebrity and less ado about ideas, events, and things.

    All these larger-than-life media personalities… actors, politicians, talking heads… They are no different than you or I, they just have a big spotlight.

    If people took as much interest in their neighbor or their friends lives as they do the lives of Tim Russert, Paris Hilton, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Jessica Simpson, or any other on the endless list of celebs and pseudo celebs we’d all get along better.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 16, 2008 at 1509 hrs


  5. Tim Russert did a great job because he could hit anyone between the eyes and did not play favorites.  The reason that is great is because no one else does that and they have not for a long time.

    I say if you don’t like it change the channel.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 16, 2008 at 1539 hrs


  6. If people took as much interest in their neighbor or their friends lives as they do the lives of Tim Russert, Paris Hilton, Donald Trump, Barack Obama, Jessica Simpson, or any other on the endless list of celebs and pseudo celebs we’d all get along better.

    Well said Mr. pilot.

    Also well said by a couple I don’t always agree with:

    In seeking answers to tough questions, he helped inform the American people and make our democracy stronger.

    We are only as good as our sources.  Without a media that can reveal the truths below all the bullshit persistantly spewed about we are lost as citizens and our democracy is lost.  Russert was one of the few in the media that would evenhandidly delve into the bullshit of either side and search for the truth.  If we did not have people like him our democracy would be weakened.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 16, 2008 at 1616 hrs


  7. We are only as good as our sources.  Without a media that can reveal the truths below all the bullshit persistantly spewed about we are lost as citizens and our democracy is lost.

    And without people that will question the media we will be lost.

    I got into it with someone this weekend on a particular topic (one that tends to fall along red and blue lines)

    After our ‘debate’ she got defensive, got pissed and I realized I didn’t do any good.

    So I think from now one when I debate a subject like that I’m try to stick to one montra.  And I think if we’d probably agree that if everyone reminded themselves of this daily we’d be better off:

    QUESTION EVERYTHING.  QUESTION EVERY SOURCE!  EVERYONE has an agenda.  Don’t believe anyone or anything until you know what that agenda is.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 16, 2008 at 1623 hrs


  8. I don’t really think the mainstream news media is out to deceive us.  Most of it isn’t even overtly partisan.  What worries me about it is that it’s crappy quality.  They chase scandal, report gaffes and make an election into a horse race.  They wouldn’t know an issue if it bit them in the faces.  They aren’t interested in doing investigative reporting.  It’s just a crappy product that doesn’t educate voters about issues or policy positions.  It is politics reduced to naked sensationalism.

    Posted by scott on June 16, 2008 at 1628 hrs


  9. I always admired Tim Russert for his doggedness and tenacity, especially in his early years on Meet the Press. My only regret is that in later years, that tenacity seemed to be largely wasted on irrelevant questions. For example, he would be absolutely ferocious on a question like “Will you accept the vice presidency,” but wouldn’t ask the truly tough questions (or more importantly—the tough follow-up questions) on matters of war or the Constitution or any number of things.  Particularly disturbing was his admission that when he talked to government officials, the assumption was that everything was off the record.

    Even more disturbing—in the face of all that, he was still one of the best broadcsat journalists out there.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 16, 2008 at 1646 hrs


  10. I’d have to agree with scott on the last point.  The news media today, for the most part, reports only the talking points from either candidates or political parties. 

    Whether you believe the media is either too liberal or too conservative, the bottom line is that very few journalists actually research their stories.  They simply report spin from one camp and the response to the spin from the other.  It turns into something that resembles a game of ‘Telephone Operator’, but on a national scale.

    Russert didn’t really play that game, in my opinion, and I’ll miss that.  But a full day of programming to remember him was a bit much.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 16, 2008 at 1654 hrs


  11. QUESTION EVERYTHING.  QUESTION EVERY SOURCE!  EVERYONE has an agenda.  Don’t believe anyone or anything until you know what that agenda is.

    At the same time there are facts and truths that are told by even the biggest partisan with the biggest agenda.  The thing that worries me about all the cable and radio personalities, is that people are so tired of them they don’t know when one of them is giving them important information.

    That’s what I loved about Russert.  Yes I watch Olberman and there are times I tune into Hardball, to get my left leaning takes on the news.  But I get tired of them making every misstep by the right a national crisis.  Russert didn’t do that, in my opinion.  He hammered away at people, but he didn’t make an issue bigger than it really was.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 16, 2008 at 1953 hrs


  12. I don’t mind it. Not in this case.  I think he is a real loss to humankind and journalism.  He’ll be very missed and hopefully, his integrity will be an inspiration.

    Posted by phel on June 16, 2008 at 2100 hrs


  13. I don’t know.  If I find his rememberances to be excessive, I turn the channel.  The other day, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein was on and that seemed to do the trick.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 17, 2008 at 0216 hrs


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