Tim Russert was big wherever he went — in politics, in television, in writing — and even in a suit. Russert, the hard-hitting but big-hearted moderator of NBC's "Meet the Press," died at work Friday at age 58 of a reported heart attack.
Russert, who also was in charge of NBC News' Washington bureau, is survived by his wife, Maureen Orth, and his son, Luke.
A noticeably shaken Tom Brokaw made the announcement live from New York on the NBC network, saying his colleague collapsed and died early Friday afternoon in the network's bureau in Washington.
Brokaw said Russert had just returned from a trip to Italy with his wife and son to celebrate his son's graduation from Boston College. They reportedly were still in Italy at the time of his death.
"He has been a very familiar face on this network and throughout the world of political journalism as one of the premiere political analysts and journalists of his time," Brokaw said.
Russert was also known for his large stature, his love of his family and his affinity for his home town of Buffalo — and its NFL franchise, the Bills. Brokaw said Russert had just visited Buffalo last week to assist in moving his father to a new home. Russert's father, known as Big Russ, was the subject of one of Russert's best-selling books.
"I think I can invoke personal privilege to say that this news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice. He'll be missed as he was loved — greatly," Brokaw said.
Russert had hosted "Meet the Press" since 1991, taking the seat from Garrick Utley. Russert also authored two best-sellers, including "Big Russ and Me," which focused on the relationship with his father, and the "Wisdom of Our Fathers."
Russert honed his hard-hitting interviewing style over the years, and became a make-or-break appearance for any major American politician, as well as must-see television for political observers, in and outside government.
He regularly interviewed the biggest names in domestic and international politics. He also moderated presidential debates, including at least three during the 2008 presidential campaign cycle. He was scheduled to host Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., for the upcoming Sunday show.
"Meet the Press" has been on network television since 1947, and is the longest running American public affairs show.
Russert — who also was an attorney and an aide to former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., and former Democratic New York Gov. Mario Cuomo — had a distinctive on-air style marked by tough questioning and extensive research that included posting well-documented quotes and charts on air.
During the 2000 election, Russert received light ribbing but made an indelible memory for making repeated references to a white dry-erase board he continued to write on while explaining the ongoing tallies. He eventually determined that night — before the recount and the hanging chads — by playing out numbers on his erase-board tally that Florida would be the center of the action.
Time Magazine named Russert one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008.
His reputation — criticized both by conservatives for liberal bias and liberals for conservative bias — might have been the only one left untarnished by the scandal involving former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and former CIA operative Valerie Plame in the CIA Leak case, which turned on Russert's testimony.
And his reputation survived, despite criticism — withering at times — over various controversies throughout his career.
In addition to nagging questions about his past life as a Democratic staffer, Russert suffered criticism for his part in the reporting of the run-up to the Iraq war. His show provided a pivotal appearance by Vice President Dick Cheney on the day a story appeared in The New York Times that pumped up the likelihood of Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction.
The administration has since been reported to have planted that story under the auspices of unnamed sources, and then used the story to catapult its case on national television. Critics have said Russert and other national journalists did not do enough to vet the reports.
Russert also took flak following an October 2007 Democratic presidential debate that he moderated with NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams. In the debate, Hillary Clinton struggled with a tough question about driver's licenses for illegal immigrants in New York. Her supporters thought the NBC moderators went easy on the other candidates during the debate.
In a statement from the White House, President Bush said: "Laura and I are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Tim Russert. ... He was an institution in both news and politics for more than two decades. Tim was a tough and hardworking newsman. He was always well-informed and thorough in his interviews. And he was as gregarious off the set as he was prepared on it," Bush said, also noting he was "a proud son and father."
FOX News Chairman Roger Ailes also noted Russert's tough interview style, remembering private lunches: "I think before the last presidential election, I had lunch with him. He would always have lunch with people, and at lunch, you felt like you were on 'Meet the Press,' because he always had penetrating questions."
Ailes also remembered Russert's sense of humor, saying he "was one of the funniest guys that I knew," providing impressions of those from former employers like Moynihan on up to presidents. "It's hard to find a picture of Tim when he isn't smiling. He was just a guy who enjoyed life."
"He was an example for all journalists today and tomorrow," Ailes added.
"When Russert said something, it had an enormous impact," said "FOX News Sunday" host Chris Wallace, commenting on Russert's early call that the 2008 Democratic primaries were essentially over, favoring Obama. Obama eventually clinched the number of delegates needed to win and is now the presumptive nominee.
Bob Schieffer, Russert's competitor on CBS' "Face the Nation," said the two men delighted in scooping each other, according to The Associated Press.
"When you slipped one past 'ol Russert, you felt as though you had hit a home run off the best pitcher in the league," Schieffer said. "I just loved Tim and I will miss him more than I can say."
Biden, one of Russert's many repeating guests, issued this statement: "Tim Russert was a man of tremendous honor and integrity, with a great love of politics and a deep commitment to our country. Anyone who spent time around Tim could feel immediately the love he had for his family. Our nation lost a pillar of journalism today, but above all else, we lost a good and decent man."
And former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., told FOX, "All of us who have had any connection with Tim Russert are stunned and shocked. He was so vital, so intense, so totally committed to life. ... I think everybody who knew him must be both very sad and in a genuine state of shock."
Several sources confirmed to FOX News that Russert was recording voice-overs for the upcoming Sunday show, and started having trouble breathing. He apparently collapsed. An ambulance was called, but Russert was unconscious when responders took him and he never revived.
What a shock to the journalism industry and the rest of the world to hear that Tim Russert had died [June 14 Gazette]. I, like so many other people, enjoyed having my coffee and watching him every Sunday on “Meet the Press.” What Tim brought to our television sets was unsurpassable. He was brilliant, prepared and had a zest for life, like no other. He was a good listener and always had the resources and answers to correct political information. Tim had a endless passion for the work that he did and for the working class of Americans. He had a great sense of humor and his genuineness was put across our television sets and into our hearts. Tim, thank you for all your hard work and opening our eyes to many things. We loved you and will miss you dearly. INGA SOLOMOS Ballston Lake
Maybe I'm missing something. I never watched "Meet the Press", but I have occasionally seen Mr Russert on news stories. I didn't get the IMPRESSION he was a terribly strong force in national news or for that matter, THAT good of a news reporter. From the amount of news coverage in the 4 days concerning this, you'd think he was the second coming of Barak Obama.
NBC interrupted their normal programming to cover this story.
National news of flooding and devastation of cities was "the Second Story" all weekend.
When the death of one person, however "special" he was to his viewers can eclipse significant breaking news from all over the world, there's something really wrong with our society.
Don't get me wrong. I'm sure the Russert family (was he married?) feels immense sadness at the loss of their father, husband, son, brother, etc - as we all would at the loss of a loved one, but coverage of this mans death, and the subsequent outpouring of emotions by local writers, international writers and people who seem to be suffering PTSD are perhaps too engrossed in their TV's. Yes, feel the loss of a newscaster you watch weekly, but getting physically emotional about it is indicative of someone that's just not quite dining on a full happy meal.
I feel sad for the Russert family ... but folks, it's time to move on. There's other real world news out there. You need to change your channel.
I also sympathize with the Russert family, of course.
But now adding politics in the mix....would Bill O'Rielly or Rush or Savage(Michael) not Suzie, get the same send off? I don't think so.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I'm sorry,,,,I dont get the fanfare....not that he was a bad guy and yes, his family must feel horrible but, someone shut up the blabbermouth media and their continuous eulogy of one of their own----HELLO----are they not the peoples press?,,,,,not idols......
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
It's hard to figure out a way to say this that won't sound disrespectful, but journalists sometimes get a pass for bluntness. So let's try this: Can we move on, please, from the death of Tim Russert? He was an estimable journalist and a fine man, but the coverage of him over the past week has been excessive and professionally inappropriate.
This has less to do with Russert, who died a week ago Friday, than with what ought to be the journalist's proper role in society. Against that standard, there has been entirely too much said about the man.
Make no mistake, in the realm of television journalists, Tim Russert was unquestionably among the best of his generation. He may not have had the investigative prowess of Brian Ross, the reassuring presence of Tom Brokaw or the fierceness in a war zone of Christiane Amanpour. But Russert was perhaps the top political journalist on the air: knowledgeable, hard-working and fair. He also was a genuinely great guy, beloved by his brilliant wife and remarkable son, to whom he gave an appropriately full measure of devotion.
FACTS:That said, let's remember that he was just a journalist. His job was to help people understand what went on beyond their own experience -- in his case, in the realm of national politics and government. He did that admirably. He did not, however, lead a civil rights crusade, push through progressive legislation, bring warring factions to a peace table or teach a poor child to read. He didn't create great art or discover a scientific principle that can save lives.
So did the occasion of his death deserve the wall-to-wall coverage on MSNBC for more than two full days last weekend, and beyond? What about the decision by the producers of "NBC Nightly News" to report nothing -- that is, not any other story in the world -- on the first show after he died? Did posthumous coverage of Russert need to include hours of adulation and public mourning by his network colleagues?
Certainly, we Americans feel differently about the people who come into our homes on TV newscasts than, say, the folks who work at the Times Union or in any other print medium. We make more of a connection to any local TV anchor reading from a prompter than we do to even the most insightful and eloquent print reporter.
Maybe you'll figure that I'm just a print guy who is jealous about the celebrity of broadcasters. In fact, most of the people I work with take some comfort in the relative anonymity of our work.
To be sure, most print journalists don't have those traits that are fundamental to good TV reporting -- presence on camera, an ability to relate through the lens to someone at home and deliver information verbally on the spot with clarity and some style. But that doesn't mean a typical newspaper reporter would choose to trade places with an on-air TV correspondent.
Most of us are taught that humility is an important attribute for any reporter. That's because a story must never be subjugated to a storyteller. When a reporter gets outsized, in his own view or that of his audience, fair presentation of the truth can be imperiled. FACTS:Ironically, Tim Russert is a guy who became famous without seeming to outgrow his sense of proportion. He came from working-class roots in Buffalo, and he seemed never to hunger for celebrity, unlike so many people we see on camera. His posthumous glorification seems all the more inappropriate in that light. Certainly, some storytelling is improved by having a powerful and present storyteller. Jimmy Breslin set a standard for that sort of columnizing when he emerged as a powerful presence in the New York City media in the 1960s. Newspapers promote columnists in the public eye, and readers expect to get a sense of the columnist's personality in the work they see on the page. And some media are entirely personality-driven. Talk radio hosts and bloggers are usually people whose output is suffused with not just their views, but also their personality. Russert, as both a commentator and an interview show host, as well as NBC's Washington bureau chief, had a job that required that he project himself into a story on some occasions and step back on others. It was one of the many tasks he did extraordinarily well.
But as a craft, journalism requires a sense of nuance and proportion. By indulging in an overzealous farewell to a pal, the networks didn't give Russert in death the sort of grace he exhibited in life.
Leave it to Russert to teach us something, even in parting. Rex Smith is editor of the Times Union.
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