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Posts Tagged “
Tim Russert
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punditry
Tim Russert's Departing Words On Joe Scarborough
As predicted, New York magazine's profile of Joe Scarborough was much like its predecessor in the Times, recounting the MSNBC personality's trip from a scripted right-wing blowhard to a charming, inventive morning show host who even sympathizes with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. But the endorsements! The MSNBC hosts' colleagues are positively effusive. And no doubt the most powerful quote is this one from former Meet The Press anchor Tim Russert, collected two weeks before his death: More »
snark break
How Tim Russert Just Saved The Life Of An ABC Producer
ABC News producer Michael Bicks had a feeling something was wrong after dropping out of a long group bike ride a few weekends ago. "Besides the nausea, my only symptoms were a persistent cough and an overwhelming feeling that something was not right... That’s when Tim Russert popped into my head." Bicks looked up the symptoms of cardiac arrest online and, ignoring his instinct that "it really didn't feel like much," drove himself to the hospital, where he learned he was, indeed, having a severe heart attack. He lived to write about it in this morning's Times, where Bicks said there has been a spike in men hauling themselves into hospitals with symptoms like his, and with similar thoughts of Russert: More »
Lewis Lapham Hates On Tim Russert
"Tim Russert was a spokesman for power, wealth, and privilege. That’s why 1,000 people came to his memorial service. Because essentially he was a shill for the government." [New York]
tim russert
Tim Russert, Another Posthumous Cover Star
At left is the cover of the July issue of the conservative monthly magazine Newsmax. Notice anything collar-looseningly embarrassing about it? Not to worry! Despite featuring the late Tim Russert as the primus inter pares of electoral opinion-makers, Newsmax assures its readers that it had no choice but to run with the graphic as is because the book had already shipped by the time of the "Meet the Press" anchor's passing. Such are the pitfalls of old media publishing cycles. Though it doesn't mean he can't still be a good posthumous marketing tool: "In this Newsmax Special Report, 'The Power and the Glory,' we reveal the media talking heads — people like Russert — who are exerting tremendous influence this election year. Nobody exemplified this media power better than Russert." Fortunately, the press release ran on the Newsmax website, so altering the original clause —"Among the bigmouths who have hijacked our democracy" — was the work of a mere keystroke. More »
flackery
Is There Still Time To Shamelessly Exploit Tim Russert's Death? Yes!
NBC newsman Tim Russert died of a heart attack more than two weeks ago, but that doesn't mean that it's too late for desperate flacks to try piggybacking on the man's death in order to snatch a little media coverage for their most marginal clients. For example, here's a question you've probably been asking yourself since that fateful day: "COULD HOLISTIC MEDICINE HAVE SAVED TIM RUSSERT?" Holistic medicine pioneer and tasteless quack Raphael Kellman, MD says "YES!": More »
journalismism
New 'Meet The Press' Hurts America Less
Everyone is complaining that Sunday's Tom Brokaw-hosted Meet the Press was too boring. ("A little too much comity!" -Alessandra Stanley. "The Most Boring Meet the Press Ever!" -Jossip.) Is that bad? We didn't watch it, but we're still going to say "no." Look, Tim Russert, may he rest in peace, was a fantastic broadcaster, and yes, he made the show entertaining as hell, but if Tom Brokaw is ditching Tim's trademark "once you said this, now you say this, EXPLAIN YOURSELF" method, more power to him and to NBC. We realize it's not what the Sunday shows are "about," but let's not bitch about how "boring" a quiet, informed political debate is while we're all hand-wringing about how toxic and broken the campaign process has become. Deal? After the jump, a clip of Brokaw interviewing NBC analyst Chuck Todd. Tom's gentle admonishment of Chuck was apparently the most interesting part of the broadcast. More »
feuds
Arianna Insists Her Dislike of Tim Russert Was Nothing Personal
Portfolio media reporter Jeff Bercovici cornered blogstress Arianna Huffington at a party and interviewed her. He asked, awkwardly, about Tim Russert. As you may recall, Arianna did not like the deceased newsman. She devoted a great deal of time and energy to criticizing his interview style, guests, questions, and status. To be fair, her points were often cogent and correct! But the other thing is that Tim's wife Maureen Orth wrote a terribly nasty story about Arianna back in the '90s and also called her then-husband gay (he was, and is). Then Arianna was accused of hiring a private investigator to tail Maureen and Tim. Which she denies. Still, she says, Russert Watch was nothing personal. More »
stalky
Arianna Huffington's Secret Control Room
Wow, media baroness Arianna Huffington really knows how to lay on the cloak and dagger stuff. You'll recall how the recent death of NBC newsman Tim Russert, followed by the Huffington Post publisher saying very little about him, reminded everyone that Russert and Huffington had a big, 15-year feud involving a scandalous takedown of Huffington written for Vanity Fair by Russert's wife. Everyone was also reminded of allegations by Republican strategist Ed Rollins (denied by Huffington) that she once hired a private investigator to tail Russert's wife and also once launched a surveillance team of close to 12 "security operatives" to find the illegal nanny of her husband's opponent in his senate campaign. Well, now Huffington's given a wide-ranging interview to the Chicago Tribune titled "Snoop Patrol" that only makes her sound like even more of a shadow lurker. More »
tim russert
Russert Death Wikipedia Leaker Fired
So the guy who posted early news Tim Russert's death to Wikipedia? He's been fired by the NBC News Web contractor that employed him, because the network had been trying to notify Russert's family before breaking the news. In fact, according to the Times, the network waited roughly an hour before putting word of the Meet The Press host's passing on-air and was "flabbergasted" to see it on Wikipedia. The "junior-level employee" who posted the information did not know the news was being kept quiet. But it's still hard to have any sympathy — he or she worked for a contractor that does newsgathering and publishing on behalf of a broadcast journalism organization. The employee had no business spending time writing for any site that didn't belong to NBC News. [Times]
television
Brokaw to Host Meet the Press Through November Election
In a lucky move for NBC and fans of Meet the Press, veteran newsman Tom Brokaw is stepping up to replace Tim Russert as the show's moderator—at least through the election—starting next Sunday. "The news was announced on the program today, a little over a week after the death of Tim Russert. A lot has been said in recent days about what Meet the Press means to NBC News and to the nation,' said NBC News President Steve Capus in a press release. 'To have someone of Tom's stature step up and dedicate himself to ensuring its ongoing success is not only a testament to his loyalty to Tim, but his enduring commitment to NBC News and our viewers.'" More »
feuds
"Partisan" MSNBC-ers Shut Out Of Meet The Press?
So the Post has posted the Page Six item Keith Olbermann was so worked up about yesterday, and it does indeed say Hardball host Chris Matthews "seemed" to be talking about a strategy for landing Tim Russert's job at a memorial event for the NBC personality, and that Olbermann is threatening to quit if he doesn't get Russert's Meet The Press job. (On Countdown, Olbermann denied issuing an ultimatum for Meet The Press and said Matthews shut down talk of him replacing Russert when an acquaintance brought it up.) But the gossip item also quotes a source, ostensibly from the traditional broadcast side of NBC News, who claims that Russert himself wanted NBC News political director Chuck Todd as his own replacement, and that the network will never install someone from MSNBC on the show: More »
feuds
Olbermann Lashes Out Over Russert Rumor
Keith Olbermann's feud with Rupert Murdoch and his News Corp. media properties reached a bitter new milestone today when the MSNBC Countdown host smacked Murdoch's Post for a forthcoming gossip item that will, he said, allege that fellow MSNBC-er Chris Matthews was jockeying to succeed Tim Russert as host of Meet The Press at a memorial event for Russert yesterday. The item will also reportedly say that Olbermann has threatened to quit if he doesn't get Russert's job himself. Olbermann leapt to sometime-rival Matthews' defense, saying the Hardball host was asked by an acquaintance at the event about succession and immediately shut the conversation down. As for himself, Olbermann denied he had demanded to replace Russert and said he was, in any case, unqualified (though any savvy and honest successor would attach that caveat). The Page Six reporter working on the item, Paula Froelich, was awarded Countdown's "Worst Person In The World" title for the night, which will teach her a very important lesson: Do not call TV people for comment until after their shows have aired. Clip after the jump. More »
roundup
Tim Russert, Remembered
- Tim Russert's son, Luke, asked Barack Obama and John McCain to sit next to one another at his father's funeral Wednesday. They complied, and listened as he urged them and the rest of the mourners to "engage in spirited debate but disavow the low tactics that distract Americans from the most important issues facing our country." [Times]
- At the Kennedy Center memorial service, Tom Brokaw opened by lifting a bottle of Rolling Rock beer pilfered from Russert's cooler, as well as a mug the newsman gave him, and declaring, "We are going to do this Irish style. There will be some tears, some laughs, and the occasional truth." [AP] (Photo via FishbowlDC)
- Brokaw on the crowd: "Family... closest friends from near and far, the powerful, the ordinary, and the largest contingent of all, those who think they should be his successor on Meet the Press." [TV Newser]
- Meet The Press executive producer Betsy Fischer: "In the seventeen years I've had the great honor of working with you and learning from you, you have never once steered me wrong." [FishbowlDC]
- Mario Cuomo recounted how, as governor, he pushed through the country's first seatbelt law, then promptly got into a car accident and banged his head on the dashboard because the belt was not tightened. " The press appeared immediately and asked how the governor was. 'Thank God for the seatbelt,' said Russert without missing a beat." [Broadcasting & Cable]
- NBC anchor Brian Williams: "Tim spent a fortune on his hair. And on the day when he got it done, he looked outstanding for 60 to 90 minutes afterwards." (AP)
- "Williams reports Tim's last words were, 'What's happening,' to Washington bureau editing supervisor Candice Harrington." (TV Newser)
- Luke Russert: "My dad... said to him, 'Michael... What if God had come to you and said... I will give you a beautiful, a wonderful, happy, and lovable son for 17 years, but then it will be time for him to come home? You would make that deal in a second, right?' Well, I only had — I had 22 years, but I, too, would make that deal in a heartbeat." [HuffPo]
- The Huffington Post has video of each tribute, along with transcripts (scroll down). [HuffPo]
political wives
The Story That Made Arianna Huffington Hate Tim Russert
It's a tangled web. Liberal-ish MSNBC pundit Chris Matthews hates liberal convert blog-runner Arianna Huffington because of a feud between Huffington and center-liberal deceased NBC journalist Tim Russert, whom Matthews idolized (and who never cared for Matthews). Why? Where did this all begin? It all started with a terribly nasty Vanity Fair piece written back in 1994 by Maureen Orth, Tim Russert's wife. The piece is about Michael Huffington, who almost bought himself a seat in the US Senate back when he was married to Arianna. This story helped end his political dreams, won Orth an award or two, and caused bad blood that lasted up until the day Tim died. And we have awesome clips from it! More »
awkward
Arianna Huffington's 15-Year Feud With Tim Russert
So. As we noted this morning, blog mistress Arianna Huffington didn't weigh in on the unexpected death of departed Meet the Press host Tim Russert until well after everyone else, and once she did, she didn't have much to say. Because of the old axiom about how much one should say when one doesn't have anything nice to say. (HuffPo's regular feature "Russert Watch" has gone blank—technical glitch
how we watch
The Scale of Celebrity Death
Tim Russert died. I'm not sure if you've heard. But, yes, the Meet the Press moderator and dedicated D.C. journalist passed away, at a too-young 58, last week and the media has been in a frenzy since. Jack Shafer at Slate (among many others, I'm sure) feels that the coverage is a bit overdone. Yes Russert was by all accounts a good guy and a good worker and just one of those decent people that feel in short supply, especially in Washington, especially in the media. But isn't it still a bit much? All the tributes and montages and teary testimonials. I mean, nearly every life deserves parades and fireworks and tears and montages when it ends. But, because this is on TV and people are being paid, somewhere, doesn't this seem all a bit circusy? Maybe that's cynical, but television has, to some extent, earned our cynicism. If this is indeed a "circus," then where does it rank among other notable, much-covered celebrity deaths? A writer for Psychology Today says it's the biggest death since John Lennon. We disagree. We'll put this all in some context after the jump. More »
Internet
