June 13, 200818 yr WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News? Washington bureau chief and the moderator of ?Meet the Press,? died Friday after a sudden heart attack at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58. Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday?s ?Meet the Press? program when he collapsed, the network said. No details were immediately available. Russert, the recipient of 48 honorary doctorates, took over the helm of ?Meet the Press? in December 1991. Now in its 60th year, ?Meet the Press? is the longest-running program in the history of television. In 2008, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Timothy John Russert Jr. was born in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 7, 1950. He was a graduate of Canisius High School, John Carroll University and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was a member of the bar in New York and the District of Columbia. Senate staffer before entering journalism After graduating from law school, Russert went into politics as a staff operative. In 1976, he worked on the Senate campaign of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., and in 1982, he worked on Mario Cuomo?s campaign for governor of New York. Russert joined NBC News in 1984. In April 1985, he supervised the live broadcasts of NBC's TODAY show from Rome, negotiating and arranging an appearance by Pope John Paul II, a first for American television. In 1986 and 1987, Russert led NBC News? weeklong broadcasts from South America, Australia and China. Of his background as a Democratic political operative, Russert said, ?My views are not important.? ?Lawrence Spivak, who founded ?Meet the Press,? told me before he died that the job of the host is to learn as much as you can about your guest?s positions and take the other side,? he said in a 2007 interview with Time magazine. ?And to do that in a persistent and civil way. And that?s what I try to do every Sunday.? Cuomo, Russert?s onetime boss, wrote of Russert: ?Most candidates are not eager to present themselves for Tim?s incisive scrutiny, which is fed by his prodigious study and preparation. But they have little choice: appearing on ?Meet the Press? is today as vital to a serious candidate as being properly registered to vote.? Russert wrote two books ? ?Big Russ and Me? in 2004 and ?Wisdom of Our Fathers? in 2006 ? both of which were New York Times best-sellers. Emmy for Reagan funeral coverage In 2005, Russert was awarded an Emmy for his role in the coverage of the funeral of President Ronald Reagan. His ?Meet the Press? interviews with George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000 won the Radio and Television Correspondents? highest honor, the Joan S. Barone Award, and the Annenberg Center?s Walter Cronkite Award. Russert?s March 2000 interview of Sen. John McCain shared the 2001 Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Television Journalism. He was also the recipient of the John Peter Zenger 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. He was a member of the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. Russert was a trustee of the Freedom Forum?s Newseum and a member of the board of directors of the Greater Washington Boys and Girls Club, and America?s Promise ? Alliance for Youth. In 1995, the National Father?s Day Committee named him ?Father of the Year,? Parents magazine honored him as ?Dream Dad? in 1998, and in 2001 the National Fatherhood Initiative also recognized him as Father of the Year. Irish America magazine named him one of the top 100 Irish Americans in the country, and he was selected as a Fellow of the Commission of European Communities. Russert is survived by his wife, Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine, and a son, Luke. Link Very shocking death. Needless to say, this will be the major story for the next few days. RIP.
June 13, 200818 yr Shocking. I remember the first election I followed real closely was the 2000 one, and Tim had me drawn in all night with the use of his white-board and marker to tell how many states/electorates the presidents had won/needed. Sad that he won't be around for this next one.
June 13, 200818 yr Wow, I've tuned into that Sunday morning show for something like 10 years now. Always had a smile on his face. Seemed like a genuinely nice guy. RIP.
June 13, 200818 yr Wow, I've tuned into that Sunday morning show for something like 10 years now. Always had a smile on his face. Seemed like a genuinely nice guy. RIP. I started watching every Sunday about a year ago...it's going to be really weird not seeing him anymore. May the Nationals win tonight in his honor. The seats which he had season tickets for will be empty.
June 13, 200818 yr WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News? Washington bureau chief and the moderator of ?Meet the Press,? died Friday after a sudden heart attack at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58. Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday?s ?Meet the Press? program when he collapsed, the network said. No details were immediately available. Russert, the recipient of 48 honorary doctorates, took over the helm of ?Meet the Press? in December 1991. Now in its 60th year, ?Meet the Press? is the longest-running program in the history of television. In 2008, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Timothy John Russert Jr. was born in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 7, 1950. He was a graduate of Canisius High School, John Carroll University and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was a member of the bar in New York and the District of Columbia. Senate staffer before entering journalism After graduating from law school, Russert went into politics as a staff operative. In 1976, he worked on the Senate campaign of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., and in 1982, he worked on Mario Cuomo?s campaign for governor of New York. Russert joined NBC News in 1984. In April 1985, he supervised the live broadcasts of NBC's TODAY show from Rome, negotiating and arranging an appearance by Pope John Paul II, a first for American television. In 1986 and 1987, Russert led NBC News? weeklong broadcasts from South America, Australia and China. Of his background as a Democratic political operative, Russert said, ?My views are not important.? ?Lawrence Spivak, who founded ?Meet the Press,? told me before he died that the job of the host is to learn as much as you can about your guest?s positions and take the other side,? he said in a 2007 interview with Time magazine. ?And to do that in a persistent and civil way. And that?s what I try to do every Sunday.? Cuomo, Russert?s onetime boss, wrote of Russert: ?Most candidates are not eager to present themselves for Tim?s incisive scrutiny, which is fed by his prodigious study and preparation. But they have little choice: appearing on ?Meet the Press? is today as vital to a serious candidate as being properly registered to vote.? Russert wrote two books ? ?Big Russ and Me? in 2004 and ?Wisdom of Our Fathers? in 2006 ? both of which were New York Times best-sellers. Emmy for Reagan funeral coverage In 2005, Russert was awarded an Emmy for his role in the coverage of the funeral of President Ronald Reagan. His ?Meet the Press? interviews with George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000 won the Radio and Television Correspondents? highest honor, the Joan S. Barone Award, and the Annenberg Center?s Walter Cronkite Award. Russert?s March 2000 interview of Sen. John McCain shared the 2001 Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Television Journalism. He was also the recipient of the John Peter Zenger 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. He was a member of the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame. Russert was a trustee of the Freedom Forum?s Newseum and a member of the board of directors of the Greater Washington Boys and Girls Club, and America?s Promise ? Alliance for Youth. In 1995, the National Father?s Day Committee named him ?Father of the Year,? Parents magazine honored him as ?Dream Dad? in 1998, and in 2001 the National Fatherhood Initiative also recognized him as Father of the Year. Irish America magazine named him one of the top 100 Irish Americans in the country, and he was selected as a Fellow of the Commission of European Communities. Russert is survived by his wife, Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine, and a son, Luke. Link Very shocking death. Needless to say, this will be the major story for the next few days. RIP. Shocking for sure. He really provided integrity and class to the news media. He will be missed
June 13, 200818 yr Wow, I've tuned into that Sunday morning show for something like 10 years now. Always had a smile on his face. Seemed like a genuinely nice guy. RIP. I started watching every Sunday about a year ago...it's going to be really weird not seeing him anymore. May the Nationals win tonight in his honor. The seats which he had season tickets for will be empty. It really is an extremely difficult loss. His show on Sunda mornings has been a staple for me also. Just great for political junkies. RIP.
June 14, 200818 yr I had no idea he was so involved with baseball. Here is the MLB.com article. He was on the Hall of Fame Board of Directors. The HOF, Commissioner's Office, Yankees, Red Sox, and Nationals all released statements. The Orioles held a moment of silence before their game tonight.
June 15, 200818 yr Oh yeah, huge sports junkie. He went to Washington Nationals games with Carville. Plugged the Bills and Sabres shamelessly on his show, :lol
June 15, 200818 yr This is a huge blow to the media in general. I really can't imagine the upcoming presidential election without. I'm also a bit shocked. He did a speech at a family member's graduation and was absolutely fine at the time. Sunday mornings will never be the same.
June 17, 200818 yr Author Tim Russert was the last vestige of integrity at NBC, he will be missed. Tom Brokaw's still there...
June 17, 200818 yr RIP I watch Meet the Press religiously. Mr. Russert was one of the last true professional television journalists left.
June 17, 200818 yr What a shocker. No one had anything bad to say about him at all. Not even a whiff of scandal or anything. My prayers are with his family in their time of grief.
June 17, 200818 yr What a shocker. No one had anything bad to say about him at all. Not even a whiff of scandal or anything. My prayers are with his family in their time of grief. The press usually defames political and entertainment figures post mortem? When has that been the case? Jerry Falwell and Strom Thurmond come to mind.
June 17, 200818 yr What was the backlash against Falwell? All I remember was the then Republicans praising him for his influence. And for Thurmond, was that the case of the press defaming them or someone stepping forward? The point is that the country is usually pretty civil toward the dead. I'm also not suggesting that Russert has left a lot buried, but I don't see the country being any more sympathetic toward him than anyone else. With Falwell, I remember some guys on MSNBC being awfully frank about him. And the same thing with Thurmond. It wasn't "defaming", but it was more being truthful about who they were. But I do agree that we are very civil in this country towards the dead, and I myself am a product of that.
June 18, 200818 yr What a shocker. No one had anything bad to say about him at all. Not even a whiff of scandal or anything. My prayers are with his family in their time of grief. The press usually defames political and entertainment figures post mortem? When has that been the case? Why would you assume she's referring to comments made after his death? He seemed to be a well-liked, well-respected journalist throughout his career. That's how I took it.
June 18, 200818 yr Author What a shocker. No one had anything bad to say about him at all. Not even a whiff of scandal or anything. My prayers are with his family in their time of grief. The press usually defames political and entertainment figures post mortem? When has that been the case? Why would you assume she's referring to comments made after his death? He seemed to be a well-liked, well-respected journalist throughout his career. That's how I took it. Just the way I read it. Either way I'm merely pointing out that we are fairly civil toward the dead in general. I'm sure Fox Security was on standby to shoot anyone who looked the wrong way during Reagan's funeral procession. :thumbup
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