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Tim Russert

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Tim Russert
Tim Russert, October 22 2007
Born
Timothy John Russert

(1950-05-07)May 7, 1950
Buffalo, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 13, 2008(2008-06-13) (aged 58)
Washington, D.C.
EducationB.A. in Political Science, 1972
John Carroll University,
J.D., 1976 Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
OccupationJournalist
Notable credit(s)Meet the Press moderator
(1991–2008), NBC Nightly News correspondent,
NBC News Washington Bureau Chief
SpouseMaureen Orth (married 1983)
ChildrenLuke Russert (born 1985)
Websitehttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4459759/

Timothy John Russert (May 7 1950 – June 13 2008) was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was NBC News' Washington bureau chief and also hosted the eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview program Tim Russert. He was a frequent correspondent and guest on NBC's The Today Show and Hardball. Russert covered several presidential elections, and he presented the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey on the NBC Nightly News during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Time Magazine included Russert in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008.[1] Russert was posthumously revealed as a thirty-year source of columnist Robert Novak. [2]

Early life

Russert was born in Buffalo, New York to Irish American Catholic parents Elizabeth (Betty), a homemaker, and Timothy Joseph "Big Russ" Russert, a sanitation worker and newspaper truck driver,[3][4] who were married for 30 years and separated in 1976.[5] He was the second of four children; his sisters are Betty Ann (B.A.), Kathleen (Kathy) and Patricia (Trish).[5] He received a Jesuit education[6] from Canisius High School in Buffalo.

He received his B.A. in 1972 from John Carroll University and an honors Juris Doctor from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1976.[3] Russert commented on Meet the Press that he went to Woodstock, "in a Buffalo Bills jersey with a case of beer." While in law school, an official from his alma mater, John Carroll University, called Russert to ask if he could book some concerts for the school as he had done while a student. He agreed, but said he would need to be paid because he was running out of money to pay for law school. One concert that Russert booked was headlined by a then-unknown singer, Bruce Springsteen, who charged $2,500 for the concert appearance. Russert told this story to Jay Leno when he was a guest on the The Tonight Show on NBC on June 6 2006.[7]

Career

Early career

Russert was admitted to the bar in New York and the District of Columbia and then worked on New York Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan's successful senatorial campaign in 1976. He served as Moynihan's chief of staff from 1977 to 1982. He then worked on New York Democrat Mario Cuomo's successful gubernatorial campaign in 1982, and was counselor and chief spokesperson in the governor's office in Albany from 1983 to 1984. He left politics and joined the NBC Washington bureau in 1984. In 1985, he arranged for Pope John Paul II's first interview on American television. He became Washington bureau chief in 1988 and was later promoted to senior vice president of NBC News.[8]

Host of Meet the Press

Russert took over the Sunday morning program Meet the Press in 1991, and would become the longest serving host of the program. Its name was changed to Meet the Press with Tim Russert, and, at his suggestion, went to an hour-long format in 1992. The show also shifted to a greater focus on in-depth interviews with high profile guests, where Russert was known especially for his extensive preparatory research. One approach he developed was to find old quotes or video clips that were inconsistent with guests' more recent statements, present them on-air to his guests and then ask them to clarify their positions. With Russert as host the show became increasingly popular, receiving more than 4 million viewers per week, and was recognized as one of the most important sources of political news. Time Magazine named Russert one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008, and Russert often moderated political campaign debates.[9]

Enthusiasm for sports

Russert had grown up as a New York Yankees fan, switching his allegiance to the Nationals when they were established in Washington, D.C. Russert held season tickets to both the Washington Nationals and the Washington Wizards[10] and was elected to the board of directors of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 2003. U.S. Route 20 leading to Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York will, according to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, be renamed "The Tim Russert Highway."[11]

A lifelong fan of the Buffalo Bills football team, Russert often closed Sunday broadcasts during the football season with some type of pro-Bills comment. A team statement declared that listening to Russert's "Go Bills" exhortations was part of their Sunday morning game preparation.[12] He once prayed publicly on the show with his father when the Bills were going for the Super Bowl for the fourth consecutive time before Super Bowl XXVIII.[13] Russert was a Buffalo Sabres fan and appeared on an episode of Meet the Press next to the Stanley Cup during a Sabres playoff run. While his son was attending Boston College, he often ended Meet the Press with a mention of the success of various Boston College sports teams.

File:Russertmarkerboard.jpeg
Russert with his trademark dry-erase board during the 2000 presidential election

Political coverage and debates

During NBC's coverage of the 2000 presidential election, Russert calculated possible electoral college outcomes using a white marker board (now in the Smithsonian Institution) on the air and memorably summed up the outcome as dependent upon "Florida, Florida, Florida."[14] TV Guide described the scene as "one of the 100 greatest moments in TV history."[15] Russert again accurately predicted the final battleground of the presidential elections of 2004: "Ohio, Ohio, Ohio." On the MSNBC show Tucker, Russert predicted the battleground states of the 2008 presidential election would be New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, saying, "If Democrats can win three of those four, they can lose Ohio and Florida, and win the presidency."[16]

CIA leak scandal

In the Plame affair, Scooter Libby, convicted chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, told special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that Russert told him of the identity of Central Intelligence Agency officer Valerie Plame (Mrs. Joseph C. Wilson). Russert testified previously, and again in United States v. I. Lewis Libby, that he would neither testify whether he spoke with Libby nor would he describe the conversation.[17][18] Russert did say, however, that Plame's identity as a CIA operative was not leaked to him.[17]

Russert testified again in the trial on February 7 2007.[19] At the trial, the prosecution asserted that a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent had called Russert regarding Russert's phone call with Libby, and that Russert had told the agent that the subject of Plame had not come up during his conversation with Libby.[19] During the trial, another witness, former Cheney communications director Cathie Martin, testified that she "suggested we put the vice president on Meet the Press, which was a tactic we often used. It's our best format, allowing the administration to "control the message."[20][21] Posthumously Russert was revealed as a thirty-year source of columnist Robert Novak, whose original article revealed Plame's affiliation with the CIA. Russert’s integrity has been called into question. [22]

Author

Russert penned a best-selling autobiography, Big Russ and Me[5] in 2004, which chronicled his life growing up in the predominantly Irish American working-class neighborhood of South Buffalo and his education at Canisius High School. Russert's father Timothy Joseph Russert, "Big Russ," was a World War II veteran who held down two jobs after the war, emphasized the importance of maintaining strong family values, the reverence of faith, and never taking a short cut to reach a goal. Russert claimed to have received over 60,000 letters from people in response to the book, detailing their own experiences with their fathers.[16][23] He released Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons in 2005, a collection of some of these letters. This book also became a best-seller.

Awards

During his career, Russert received 48 honorary doctorates and won several awards for excellence in journalism, including the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the John Peter Zenger Freedom of the Press Award, the American Legion Journalism Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism, the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Communication and the Catholic Academy for Communication's Gabriel Award. Russert also received an Emmy Award in 2005 for his coverage of the funeral of former President Ronald Reagan.[24]

Red States and Blue States

According to The Washington Post, the terms Red States and Blue States were coined by Tim Russert.[25] This term refers to those states of the United States of America whose residents predominantly vote for the Republican Party or Democratic Party presidential candidates, respectively. It began to emerge in mainstream political discussion following the 2000 presidential election.

Personal life

Russert's last book, Wisdom of Our Fathers

Russert met Maureen Orth at the 1976 Democratic National Convention; they married in 1983. Orth has been a special correspondent for Vanity Fair since 1993. Their son, Luke[26], graduated from Boston College in 2008 and hosts the XM radio show 60/20 Sports with James Carville.

He appeared briefly in a scene on the television drama Homicide as himself.[27] On that show, one of the fictional characters, Megan Russert, was supposedly his cousin. Russert also appeared on the Nickelodeon game show What Would You Do?

He and his family lived in northwest Washington, D.C.[3] and also spent time at a vacation home on Nantucket Island, where he served on the board of several non-profit organizations. As of 2008, his 6,220-square-foot (578 m2) Nantucket home was valued at $7.2 million.[28]

Russert, a devout Catholic, said many times he had made a promise to God to never miss Sunday Mass if his son were born healthy. In his writing and in his news reporting, Russert spoke openly and fondly of his Catholic school education and of the role of the Catholic Church in his life. He was an outspoken supporter of Catholic education on all levels. [29] He said that his father, a sanitation worker who never finished high school, "worked two jobs all his life so his four kids could go to Catholic school, and those schools changed my life." He also spoke warmly of Catholic nuns who taught him. "Sister Mary Lucille founded a school newspaper and appointed me editor and changed my life," he said. Teachers in Catholic schools "taught me to read and write, but also how to tell right from wrong."[29]

Russert also contributed his time and to numerous Catholic charities. He was particularly devoted and concerned for the welfare of street kids in the United States and children whose lives were lost in gun violence.[29] He told church workers attending the 2005 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering that "if there's an issue that Democrats, Republicans, conservatives and liberals can agree on, it's our kids."[29]

Russert's favorite beer was Rolling Rock, and, at his funeral, fellow anchor Tom Brokaw brought and raised a Rolling Rock in honor of Russert's memory.[30]

Prior to his death, he had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI during his trip to Italy. He was also scheduled to give the Catholic Common Ground Initiative's Philip J. Murnion Lecture on June 27, 2008 at The Catholic University of America.

Death

Wikinews has related news:

Shortly after 1:30 on the afternoon of June 13 2008, Russert collapsed at the offices of WRC-TV, which houses the Washington, D.C. bureau of NBC News where he was bureau chief. He was recording voiceovers for the Sunday edition of Meet the Press. According to Brian Williams during his speech at the Kennedy Center on June 18, Russert's last words were, "What's happening?" spoken as a greeting to NBC Washington bureau editing supervisor Candace Harrington.[31] He then collapsed. A co-worker began rescue breathing on him, although Russert needed CPR. The District of Columbia Fire and Rescue service received a call from NBC at 1:40 and dispatched an EMS unit which arrived at 1:44. Paramedics attempted to defibrillate Russert's heart three times, but he did not respond. Russert was then transported to Sibley Memorial Hospital, arriving at 2:23, where he was pronounced dead.[32]

In accordance with American journalistic tradition, the public announcement of Russert's death was withheld by networks and wire services until Russert's family had been notified. Retired NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw delivered live on NBC, CNBC and MSNBC the news of his death: "I'm Tom Brokaw and it is my sad duty to report that my friend and colleague, Tim Russert, the moderator of Meet the Press and Washington bureau chief collapsed and died today. [33] After a family vacation in Italy to celebrate his son's graduation from Boston College, his wife and son remained in Italy while Russert had returned to prepare for his Sunday television show."[34]

Russert's longtime friend and physician, Dr. Michael Newman, said that his asymptomatic coronary artery disease had been controlled with medication and exercise, and that he had performed well on a stress test in late April. An autopsy performed on the day of his death determined that his history of coronary artery disease led to sudden cardiac death with the immediate cause being an occlusive coronary thrombus in the left anterior descending artery resulting from a ruptured cholesterol plaque.[35]

Reaction

A makeshift memorial at WRC-TV, the site of studios for Meet the Press
Main article: Reaction to Tim Russert's death

On the evening of his death, the entire, nearly commercial-free half hour of NBC Nightly News was dedicated to Russert's memory, featuring previous news segments with Russert and interviews with some of his colleagues. The broadcast also included tributes to Russert by U.S. President George W. Bush and presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama.

McCain said Russert was "at the top of his profession" and "a man of honesty and integrity", adding that "he was hard, but he was always fair."[36] Obama was quoted as saying "there wasn't a better interviewer in television nor a more thoughtful analyst of our politics", while noting his friendship with the journalist.[36] Bush issued a statement on the White House website[37] saying he and First Lady Laura Bush were "deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Tim Russert" and remarking that "he was an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades." Former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton released a joint statement saying Russert "had a love of public service and a dedication to journalism that rightfully earned him the respect and admiration of not only his colleagues but also those of us who had the privilege to go toe to toe with him." Keith Olbermann, Ethel Kennedy, Bob Schieffer, Tom Brokaw, Bob Woodward and others offered tributes during the program as well.

Dateline NBC also devoted its entire broadcast to his early life and political and journalistic career in television. MSNBC, the cable network at which he had spent much time working, devoted its weekend coverage exclusively to interviews and analyses of Russert and his impact. The following Sunday's edition of Meet the Press was devoted entirely to a remembrance of Russert, with the moderator's chair empty and Tom Brokaw leading a discussion among several of Russert's colleagues, including James Carville, Mary Matalin, Gwen Ifill, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Mike Barnicle, and Maria Shriver.[38]

Other major US news agencies, including CBS, ABC, CNN and Fox News spent large segments of their programming on June 13 reporting about Russert's life and career. The BBC also reported on his death. Statements were made by journalists from a variety of news organizations, including CBS News anchor emeritus Walter Cronkite[39], Washington Post columnists Carl Bernstein[39] and Sally Quinn.[40].

However, not all journalists were happy with the amount of coverage of Russert's death. Jack Shafer of Slate criticized the amount of media coverage surrounding Russert's death, calling NBC's coverage a "never-ending video wake."[41] Washington Post writer Paul Farhi also expressed concern about the amount of coverage, noting that a print journalist would likely not have received similar attention.[42] Chicago Tribune columnist Julia Keller questioned not only the volume of coverage but questioned the labeling of Russert's death as "a national tragedy."[43] Some liberal political organs criticized Russert as being a mouthpiece for the Bush administration, especially prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq,[44][45] [46][47] while some right-wing commentators, including Michael Savage, labeled Russert as a left-wing ideologue that disguised himself as an objective journalist.

H.Res. 1275

On June 17, 2008, the United States House of Representatives debated House Resolution 1275, "Honoring the life of Timothy John Russert, Jr. [sic], public servant, political analyst, and author." [48] The bill was sponsored by Rep. Brian Higgins and co-sponsored by 89 other representatives, and was passed unanimously (395-0).[49]

Career Timeline

References

  1. ^ Time Magazine. May 12, 2008.
  2. ^ "My Friend and My Source" Washington Post. June 18, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c Steinberg, Jacques (2008-06-14). "Tim Russert, 'Meet the Press' Host, Is Dead at 58". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-06-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Kellman, Rich (2008-06-14). "Russert's Love Affair With Buffalo". WGRZ-TV Buffalo, NY. wgrz.com. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  5. ^ a b c Amazon.com page for book (ISBN 978-1401352080) [1] Accessed: 14 JUNE 2008
  6. ^ "Tim Russert, John Carroll University Class of '72, to Moderate Democratic Debate". Retrieved 2008-06-13. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |publiisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "John Carroll University, Cleveland, OH". Brucebase. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  8. ^ "Interview With Tim Russert". CNN Reliable Sources. CNN. May 23 2004. Retrieved 2008-06-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Tim Russert, by Mario M. Cuomo. Time Magazine. May 12, 2008
  10. ^ Reiss, Mike (2006-02-05). "This Russert will be interrogating athletes on radio". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  11. ^ Bloom, Barry M. Late Russert left mark on baseball. Major League Baseball'. 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  12. ^ Dick Jauron (2008-06-13). "Team statement regarding passing of Tim Russert". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  13. ^ NFL.com's tribute and interview to the late Tim Russert
  14. ^ Howard Kurtz, Washington Post: In the Hot Seat, Washington Post, May 23, 2004.
  15. ^ Jonathan Storm, "Tim Russert, giant of D.C. journalism, dies" Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13, 2008; retrieved 2008-06-19
  16. ^ a b Tucker, June 15, 2007
  17. ^ a b Template:PDFlink. United States of America v. I. Lewis Libby. United States District Court for the District of Columbia. 2004-06-04. Retrieved 2008-06-13. Page 3.
  18. ^ In the indictment of Libby, the grand jury found that Russert did not ask Libby if Libby knew that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. Template:PDFlink. United States of America v. I. Lewis Libby. United States District Court for the District of Columbia. 2005-10-28. Retrieved 2008-06-13. Page 19.
  19. ^ a b Lewis, Neil A. NBC's Russert Wraps Up Prosecution Case in Libby Trial. The New York Times. 2007-02-09. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  20. ^ Milbank, Dana (2007-01-26). "In Ex-Aide's Testimony, a Spin Through VP's PR". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  21. ^ Greenwald, Glenn. Favorite quotes of 2007. Salon. 2007-12-26. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  22. ^ “Novak, Russert, and the Washington Protection Racket” Slate.com. June 20, 2008
  23. ^ Tim Russert liked St. Louis. KSDK-TV. 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  24. ^ "About Meet the Press". MSNBC. 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  25. ^ "MSNBC.com About Meet the Press". Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  26. ^ Luke was reportedly named after Buffalo Bisons slugger Luke Easter ("Remembering Russert: Bills had a special place in journalist's life". NFL.com. 2008-06-14. Retrieved 2008-06-15.); although (as related by Tom Brokaw at Russert's memorial service) Russert had told actor Paul Newman that the inspiration had been Newman's character Cool Hand Luke; his father also referred to St. Luke as his son's "namesake". ("Tim Russert's son 'eternally grateful' for his dad's love". NBC News. 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-06-16.)
  27. ^ Tim Russert at IMDb
  28. ^ Myers, K.C. (2008-06-14). "Russert involved in Nantucket life". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 2008-06-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ a b c d Catholic News Service (2008-06-13). "Russert remembered for his fondness for church, faithfulness". Catholic News Service. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  30. ^ http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/18/russert.memorial.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
  31. ^ "Brian Williams At Tim Russert Memorial (VIDEO)". The Huffington Post. 2008-06-18. Retrieved 2008-06-22.
  32. ^ "NBC's Tim Russert dead at 58" USA Today June 14, 2008
  33. ^ "Tim Russert dead at 58". CNN. 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  34. ^ Kurtz, Howard and William Branigin (June 13, 2008). "NBC's Tim Russert Dies at 58: Host of 'Meet the Press' Stricken While at Office". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Morgan, David (2008-06-13). "TV newsman Tim Russert dies of heart attack". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  36. ^ a b "Obama, McCain on Tim Russert". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  37. ^ White House website
  38. ^ CNN (2008-06-15). "NBC remembers Russert on first 'Meet the Press' since his death". CNN.com. Retrieved 2008-06-15. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  39. ^ a b "Reactions to Tim Russert's death". msnbc. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
  40. ^ Quinn, Sally (June 13, 2008). "'Meet the Press' Host Tim Russert Dies at 58". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ Shafer, Jack (June 16, 2008). "The Canonization of Saint Russert, The media overdo the death of a journalist". Slate.com. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  42. ^ Farhi, Paul (June 17, 2008). "Station Break". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  43. ^ Keller, Julia (June 20, 2008). "The tempest over Tim: Did the media overplay Russert's death?". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  44. ^ 'A Discordant Note on Tim Russert", Matthew Rothsschild The Progressive [2]
  45. ^ "How the Russert Test Failed America" Linda Hirshman, The Nation [3]
  46. ^ Tim Russert honored: A “state funeral” for services rendered. Alex Lantier and David Walsh. [[4]
  47. ^ Tim Russert and the decay of the American media. David North and David Walsh [5]
  48. ^ Text of House Resolution 1275
  49. ^ Sponsor, co-sponsors and roll call vote

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tim Russert.


Preceded by Meet the Press Moderator
December 8 1991 – June 8 2008 		Succeeded by


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