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Remembering Russert, his Legend Will Live
By Rachel Stockman, Wisconsin
Asking the tough questions can often get you in trouble. Reporting is like a balancing act. If you don't get it just right, your scale is going to tip; leaving you a mess to clean-up - a mess that can not only cause irreparable damage to the people you interview, but also to your reputation.
The late longtime anchor of Meet The Press, Tim Russert, never let his scale tip. But, he always asked the tough questions. I'm fairly new to professional journalism, but I think I have an idea why he was so well-respected.
"Journalism lost a great thinker this month. He inspired many, including myself, to never stop asking the tough questions. He held public officials accountable for their actions. And, he taught me to listen." -Rachel Stockman
First and foremost, he pleased his bosses. Let's be honest, you're not going to get anywhere in the television business, if you don't bring in the ratings. And boy did Tim Russert do that. For many years, he held the top spot for Sunday talk show hosts. He beat out Bob Schieffer's Face the Nation, ABC's This Week, Fox News Sunday, and CNN's Late Edition. And that's because people trusted him.
Politicians knew if they appeared on his show they better be prepared. Senator John McCain said, "He was hard but he was always fair."
In early May, Senator Barack Obama was a guest on the show. Russert quizzed him about his relationship with Reverend Jeremiah Wright. He dug up old clips in which Obama vowed to stay behind the controversial leader, and then juxtaposed them to his recent decision to quit the church. But, despite all this, Obama reflected, "There wasn't a better interviewer in television - nor a more thoughtful analyst of politics, and he was also one of the finest men I knew."
So how did Russert bring both sides together? Simple. He let his interviewees answer his questions. I mean really answer his questions. He gave Obama ample time to respond about Rev. Wright and he didn't cut him off. He never prescribed to the method that is so often used by the Nancy Graces and Bill O'Reillys of the media world: shake and shame your guest to shock your audience and shatter your competition. Rather, if you tuned in on Sunday mornings, you knew you would see a very pointed and frank discussion about the realities and shortcomings of the state of the nation.
And lastly, he put family above everything else. He often referred to his father "Big Russ" in his interviews. In 2004, he even wrote an autobiography that talked about his childhood and how growing up in an Irish working class family taught him the value of hard work and dedication. According to his producers and reporters at the Washington D.C. bureau, he led by example; not leaving the office until he got every side of the story.
Journalism lost a great thinker this month. He inspired many, including myself, to never stop asking the tough questions. He held public officials accountable for their actions. And, he taught me to listen.
