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USA Edition | Today Is Monday, March 22, 2010 |
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USA Edition | Today Is Monday, March 22, 2010 |
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| A Nation Defocused From Reality | « Scan Content In The Order It Was Published » | Big Media vs. America’s Right To Know | |
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NBC's Tim Russert and Brian Williams
Washington — One had the feeling last month that NBC couldn’t bring itself to part with Tim Russert. With good reason, perhaps — for Russert was far more than an on-air personality for NBC News. He was Washington Bureau Chief, mentor of many, diligent, probative, ethical and best of all – one of the most skeptical editors in broadcast journalism.
Although probative journalist Russert might not have approved the made for television events proffered by NBC News in celebration of his distinguished career, the long goodbye served a greater purpose Tim Russert would surely have loved: To spotlight the respect he garnered by being a serious journalist — not a television personality pretending to be a journalist.
When NBC News devoted a full half hour to Russert’s passing it gave evidence that his values were highly respected by his co-workers. It equally showed NBC’s quixotic attitude, some might say lack of respect for, the seriousness of mind, recognition of responsibility and professional commitment Russert stood for.
Tim Russert believed that news, especially political, was of immense importance. NBC’s intensely personal and respectful replacement of all news and commercial content on its flagship news broadcast the day of Russert’s sudden and untimely death, lauded him for his values even as it made of them a mockery. Reporting on his passing was appropriate, but deciding that it was newsworthy to the exclusion of everything else was serving General Electric’s needs, not Tim Russert’s journalistic values. It’s clear that the all Russert broadcast was intensely personal for the people at NBC News — and understandably so. Adding a second half hour to laud the fallen leader would have been far more appropriate and in keeping with Russert’s high standards. No matter, for Tim Russert was a celebrity — and in what passes for television news today, celebrity always trumps relevant, credible and probative news.
When the televised accolades exploded into what became a painfully long goodbye it reflected Russert’s standing among his competitors. Both were well earned, for although there was concern in some circles that the televised events were exploitable profit opportunities, there appeared a glimmer of hope that broadcast journalists who might have lost their own personal battles against entertainment values were revitalized by the ongoing soliloquy about Russet’s values, ethics and credibility.
Jeff Immelt, CEO, General Electric
It’s understandable that NBC projected Russert’s values as its own, but one need look no further than a direct comparison between Meet The Press and Nightly News to see that entertainment, audience metrics and profitability are the core values that drive NBC News, not the probative, credible, thoughtful and exciting journalism he practiced. Tim Russert succeeded, and will be remembered for values largely at odds with the unrelenting profitability demands from General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt. Being a pragmatist, Russert did what he had to do to succeed — as long as it didn’t require him to compromise his own core values.
Tim Russert was but one NBC on-air personality who did not succumb to the news-entertainment machine that has subsumed NBC News under the aegis of Steve Capus. This is not to suggest that Capus is totally and personally responsible for the unraveling of NBC News, for that is not the case. Responsibility for the demise of NBC News rests with Jeff Immelt — and GE for buying NBC without regard to the responsibilities attendant to television network ownership — public service, accountability and journalistic credibility. General Electric is not alone in its single-minded exploitation of network television — for both Viacom and Disney have decimated the news operations at CBS and ABC, respectively.
Steve Capus, President, NBC News
In an age when responsible broadcast media are the exception, Tim Russert made NBC Washington credible, probative and highly competitive by being a skeptical editor and immensely diligent researcher. Tim lived under the same tent as the clowns and the freaks first described by Ed Murrow fifty years ago, and he learned how to serve their needs without becoming one of them. For this, Russert was highly respected by his co-workers, his superiors, and his competitors. While it is impossible to accurately compare men from two very different eras in broadcasting, Russert excelled and succeeded in an immensely challenging environment — one far more difficult than Murrow ever experienced. Both men were driven by their love of country and an enduring belief that their medium had a higher calling.
This nation, this era, this profession and we who survive Tim Russert live in a better world for his being here. Whether we can keep that better world in his absence is far less certain.
If Russert’s standards were high, his demands on his reportorial staff were daunting. Tim Russert ran one of the very best broadcast news shops in Washington. Anyone who worked for Russert, and many who did not, were encouraged to meet his high standards — not just journalistically, but ethically. Not just in their work either, for Russert was an Apostle for excelling at the business of life.
Those who learned from Russert the mentor were many. The names are familiar today — from Brian Williams who once covered the White House, Andrea Mitchell, now NBC’s Chief Foreign Policy Correspondent, David Gregory, his long time friend Tom Brokaw, and Kevin Corke who all but exudes Russert’s intensity and enthusiasm.
Tim Russert, NBC Meet The Press
Tim Russert earned his reputation by being consistent in his profession and his life. He was a responsible adult in a business where too few remain. In Russert’s world standards mattered. Ethics were an essential ingredient to his success. Fairness was the foundation for his credibility. Hard work his most enduring virtue. For Tim Russert, honesty was the essence of his personal creed and professional integrity. His legacy to those who seek to follow in his footsteps is clear: Research, research, research.
Tim Russert was not the lone responsible adult in broadcast news today, but he set a standard few can live up to. In the panoply of history, Tim Russert is the person who set the high watermark in broadcast journalism. Those who honor him, including this writer, best emulate his skeptical editor’s values in all that we do and say.
Robert Butche
Publisher
Newsroom Magazine
