I sorry, they have carried Tim Russert's passing too far

[liberal N proud]

I am as sorry as everyone else here to hear the sad news that a large figure in the Political Media has passed so don't flame me for this message.

BUT, they have gone over the top with this, 24-7 coverage of every media figure talking on and on with endless clips over and over. Flags at half staff and nothing else on any NBC affiliate. And it is spilling over to the other networks as well.

The guy was a giant in the industry OK but he was just another talking head, not a god or world leader. His passing is sad, but there are other thing happening in the world.

My God, Iowa is floating away, Soldiers are dying in an illegal war and NBC News organization is on it's knees over one man.

I am sorry, NBC news organization has really made its self a joke over this.

[YDogg]

1. agreed

[Algorem]

2. Saint Timmy of the Teleprompter

[MadBadger]

3. A fucking family member died on their network.

Why cant people understand that? Every single person was effected greatly at that network. I think the only thing to be made a joke out of is you.

[Raven]

7. It would be really, really nice and a refreshing change, if we could

avoid personal attacks and the "f" word when responding to a post.

[MadBadger]

11. It would be nice if the OP didnt call an entire network "a joke"

Because they are grieving over a fallen colleague.

[bvar22]

49. Grieving is appropriate.

Even public grieving is appropriate.
Using the networks to canonize Russert in order to legitimize their own failures as "journalists" is a little too creepy for me.

YMMV.

[noamnety]

54. I think the OP was calling their entire network a joke

because they are incapable of distinguishing between a personal loss that affects them and a story worthy of 24/7 national news coverage. As supposed leaders in the news industry, that DOES make them a pathetic joke.

When I'm teaching in the classroom, if I am experiencing a personal tragedy in my life, I may mention it in passing to my kids, but I don't throw out my lesson plans and spend entire days showing slides of my dearly departed cat foo-foo instead of doing my job.

Part of being professional is being able to make a distinction between what is part of the job mission and what isn't, and prioritizing your time appropriately.

[tom_paine]

66. OMG THANK YOU! I wish I could recommend this post.

Why can't people see that?

Have we so ludicrously freakishly overpersonalized our news with it's inane banter as part of the script and personal self-aggrandizing dorky asides that it has taken holdinstitutionally?

I think it has, and I think you said it more clearly and concisely than I have yet read.

[jgraz]

55. When McDonald's CEO died, did they put his face on every Happy Meal?

They should not use their business as a platform for their private grief. His death was news, but the story is over. Move on.

[burythehatchet]

13. This is why my Ignore list grows daily.

[skooooo]

40. the F word?

Fuck!

[tularetom]

9. He ain't any deader than the 10 or 12 US service members

who have been killed in Iraq since the first of June or the 4000 plus who have died in that cluster fuck since 2003. It's true they lost a family member, but their personal grief is not news. And we don't need to be subjected to twelve hours of it.

[MadBadger]

15. Their personal grief is not news, but things are different when they work at a TV network.

How do you expect them to handle it? Do you expect the people at NBC to just go back to work and pretend it never happened? I just dont get what people want from them. Go watch Fox, go watch CNN, just leave those people alone.

[liberal N proud]

18. I expected what they did last night

But today they need to move on. 5 minuets at the top of the hour would be acceptable. But they need to move on.

If someone at your place of employment passed, would the company completely stop all work for 12 hours or more and everyone talk non stop about that person? No place I have ever worked was like that. Business must continue. NBC is in the business of reporting news, not crying on our shoulder.

I would even expect that the Meet the Press set was dark tomorrow in remembrance.

[MadBadger]

22. I dont think you understand MSNBC on the weekends

MSNBC on weekends is a joke generally. I mean for most of the weekend, they are running tape. They just dont care about weekends. So I dont think its that big of a deal. And the big NBC Today team hasnt had an opportunity to talk about this yet, so they took over weekend today, which a lot less people watch I might add.

[iamjoy]

26. Yes, I Do Expect Them To Go On

When a firefighter or police officer dies in the line of duty, their colleagues don't all stop work for twenty four hours or more to sit around and talk about the deceased. Many of them attend the funeral, sure, but for others it is business as usual.

I used to work in a call center, and we had people in our office die unexpectedly. The company reminded us of our employee assistance program (counseling is available), but we didn't turn off the phones or start telling all of our callers about the person who died.

Of course, this is a little different and to not mention it at all would be tacky, but stuff is still happening around the world and people watch the news to keep them informed, not to see eulogies for celebrities.

I stopped watching television news years ago because it is annoying. On the internet, I can click to the story I want and ignore the rest.

I hope Russert's family is getting the help and support they need. This must be terrible for them.

[MadBadger]

28. i think if NBC was the only form of media we have, then I would agree with you

But there are so many other ways for people to get news, I say just change the channel.

[indie_voter]

41. Spot on. It's unprofessional.

Yes, they lost a good friend, and I'm sorry. But enough is enough.

[yardwork]

63. Well, yes. I would like the U.S. media to do its job for a change.

A very important person died in my office about a year ago. Everyone in the office was encouraged to attend her funeral, and attendance was counted as work. Still, we were all expected to continue doing our jobs. We didn't stand around for days doing nothing but talking about our friend and colleague. Despite our grief and loss, we continued to do our jobs.

As others in this thread have pointed out, people are dying in Iowa. They're dying in Iraq and Afghanistan. The polar ice caps are melting. There's quite a bit more about Bush to be reported, if the networks bothered to do so.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

19. you got it.

precisely.

[iamjoy]

17. How About Some Perspective Here

I know this was one of their "family members" but then the Boy Scouts just lost four of their own. People lose family members every day, but only when it is a celebrity does it get round the clock news coverage. At a certain point, it stops becoming tribute and starts becoming exploitive.

We are a culture obsessed with celebrity.

[MadBadger]

20. And I'm sure the boy scouts are torn up about it. The only difference is they dont run a TV network

So you dont see it. I would also hesitate to mix Tim Russert in with an actor or athlete. I think Russert had a more important place in American History, political history that is. You can say he had a negative or positive effect, but you cant deny his effect.

I dont think CNN, Fox, should be doing wall to wall coverage, but I think its perfectly fair for NBC to do what they are doing. They dedicated a friday and a weekend to him, when weekends on MSNBC are uusally nothing anyway. Is that really something to cry about?

[iamjoy]

32. You Hit The Nail On The Head

"they don't run a television network."

And of course, it is the weekend when news is slower anyway. High gas prices, deaths in Iraq, not really news, it's been going on for years.

But hey, I still stand by my exploitation comment. Is this really about Russert and his affect on American politics - or is it about them?

[MadBadger]

36. Its about both

[izquierdista]

21. Sharing their grief

The joke here is how the entire American viewing public gets to be included in this family in their time of sorrow. Tom Brokaw was more visibly shaken up than Walter Cronkite was when Kennedy was assassinated. That said, Cronkite recomposed himself in a few seconds and went on to deliver professional, continuing news coverage. Brokaw launched into a eulogy with his voice cracking repeatedly, showing that he could not do likewise.

This is a rather two-faced inclusion that NBC is pulling, since for those who oppose the war, or Bush, or any of GE's policy positions, their 'inclusion' boils down to "Who cares what you think?" Pardon me while I don't sit in the first pew and weep; since they didn't care to hear my opinion before, I'm sure any expression of sympathy I offered would be likewise ignored.

[MadBadger]

24. Tom worked with Tim and were friends for a long time.

There is a difference there.

[proud2BlibKansan]

27. And the families of our dead soldiers?

They aren't grieving too?

I find their deaths far more tragic. And I notice our 'media' rarely if ever spends even a minute on those deaths.

[Obamarama]

47. You know what? I've had three of MY family members die in the past year...

And we grieved PRIVATELY with each other, not the whole g-damned world, 24-7. I agree, he was "one of our own" to the NBC family, but c'mon already.

I am a viewer who happened to LIKE Tim Russert...quite a bit actually. But I agree...the never-ending eulogies are at the point of becoming embarassingly maudlin. I happened to catch the last couple mintues of MSNBC's special anchored by Tom Brokaw last night. I just about gagged when Tom Brokaw asked viewers to "say a prayer for brother Timmy and tip a cold one." I've euolgized one of my own brothers and I would have never thought to have said something so ridiculously sappy to a funeral home full of people, let alone on national TV.

I've just never been much for highly public displays of grief and really don't understand that need to share your grief with the whole world, so maybe I'm out of step with the rest of the world?

[MadBadger]

59. How does a 24 hour cable TV network grieve privately.

DO you realize how ridiculous that sounds.

[Richard Steele]

67. Privately. Duh. nm

[mudesi]

50. That doesn't mean the coverage is warranted

It's actually kind of unprofessional of them. As far as the MSM is "professional" these days...

[Raven]

4. I'm inclined to agree with you. As usual the MSM goes over the

top with this. I watched some of it last night and it seemed that it wasn't even about Russert, it was "me, me, me" from all the other talking heads. And you are absolutely right about all the other problems that are not being covered...

[Clear Blue Sky]

5. No kidding. A bunch of narcissists.

Never mind the price of gas. Never mind the floods in Iowa. Never mind the earthquake in Japan. No news there...

[hellbound-liberal]

6. They always do. That's why I am glad that I get my news from the BBC on a daily basis.

In the first 30 minutes of the broadcast, not one mention of his death. Don't get me wrong, I am saddened by his death, but no more so than by the untimely death of any other member of the human family.

[Carnea]

43. Thank god I'm not the only one. I can't watch CNN MSNBC or FOX

for more than a couple of minutes. They beat every story to absolute death. And they inject themselves awkwardly into every story. I can only Imagine the endless Big Russ visits the office stories going on right now.

So like others I watch BBC America news and get my news online.

I'm shocked by his death and like many reminded of my own mortality. Not terrible saddened I didn't know the man. The whole a nation mourns meme however is over the top.

[Kolesar]

8. "Buckwheat is dead"

for all you SNL fans out there

[EV_Ares]

10. Agree, I do not mean to speak ill of someone who has passed on but I have

remembrances too and I do remember some what I think anyway were definitely partisan interviews by him as we see so many of any more. I also remember particularly a debate Hillary Clinton had with little nit-wit republican, I think his name was Rick Lazio, when she ran for the senate in NY. I had sent money for that campaign and Tim Russert was the moderator. What I remember and I am sure there were some of you who saw it, he did not do her any favors at all in that debate but she still kicked ass and (the Republican did himself in when he walked over to her shaking a piece of paper in her face). We all know she went on to run and I have always had respect for her but chose Barack over her in this race for President.

Russert was not perfect by any means and this is one time I am thankful for cable, Discovery, National Geographic and Netflex so I can get away from what I am sure will be wall-to-wall coverage of his life. Yes, while people are drowning in flood waters and being forced to evacuate.

[burythehatchet]

12. NO KIDDING. This is absurd.

[KharmaTrain]

14. The Bubbleworld

Again...I feel great sympathy to Mr. Russert's family, collegues and many friends, but what we're seeing here is more about every BUT Mr. Russert. It's a public wake of those in the beltway...the village losing an elder that the grief is being played out live on our teevees. It's a world that pretends to represent the "real world", but revolves around its own importance as its main product. For every tidbit of news we get, we then are given hours of "commentary" and "analysis" from the usual beltway suspects of "reporters", "journalists" and politicians...all with a spin and all feeding off of their own "face time" as showing their own importance and relevance in this world.

There's a lot of other things going on in this world, but to those who live in the bubbleworld and dominate what is said and heard on the cables, their world came to a sudden halt and thus the rest of us must halt as well. Everyone must get their say in...give their story and show their importance and show solidarity with the tribe. And many viewers are caught up in this tribe as well...it's what gives it the ratings and has created the cult of personality that make those that cover the "news" as important as the stories they cover...and in many ways overshadow it.

This orgy of introspection and grief demonstrates, again, how detached the corporate media is from the rest of the country.

[AP]

16. It just shows why it was so important for this current administration to get him on their side.

It looks like a lot of Americans really saw him as an everyman -- one of them. They really over-identify with him, and NBC is either reflecting it or playing it up (or both) with their coverage.

There aren't many (any?) other political commentators who make you think, 'yeah, this guy thinks like I do -- he comes out of the kind of neighborhood I grew up in." Cokie? Her parents were senators. George? He was a Rhodes Scholar boy genius who went to Ivy League schools. Russert is the one who could really sway you just because he seemed so normal and average.

His death makes me appreciate Russert's political power much more than I appreciated it when he was alive.

[hlthe2b]

23. I agree with this....

I was as shocked as anyone and was glad to see him commemorated by those who knew him best, even though he often had me cursing and pulling my hair out each Sunday or when he so clearly shilled for GE and the administration. But, I see he was a complex man, not inherently bad and did have some integrity and journalistic skills. That he did not show journalistic independence and only intermittent integrity towards the truth made me angry, but I see him for the complex human being that he was.

Amazingly, I too will miss him. However, more is definitely less, in terms of sincere tributes. They jumped that threshold a long time ago...

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. I was sick of the canonization on MSNBC and turned to CNN yesterday

Their coverage was even worse.

[PeaceNikki]

29. My guess is that most people don't watch MSNBC 24-7

So when they tune in for an hour or so a day it doesn't seem so over-the-top. Maybe, I dunno... change the channel if it bothers you?

[Mike Nelson]

30. It's ceased to be respectful

I agree

[Nipper1959]

31. Over covered

I think that everyone has the news that he has died. I understand the personal grief that his co-workers are feeling, but to the rest of us he was another talking head. I did not know him, he was not part of "my family", despite my being a political junkie. I understand the broadcaster's loss but have no need to share it for 24+ straight hours on the TV. Please let's move on.

[BlooInBloo]

33. They're still at it. What hour is this now? I want to compare this to the deaths of other....

great Americans: JFK, Lennon, Elvis. (Am I missing any?)

[Lost-in-FL]

34. I totally agree.

[malaise]

35. They have carried Tim Russert's passing too far?

Have you turned on GEM$NBC this morning. You ain't see nuthin yet!!!

[FarCenter]

37. Of the 200,000 people who die per day, I'm always amazed at the media's choice of who to eulogize

[spanone]

38. we live in an era where the messenger is more important than the message

[Paladin]

39. Agreed, Absolutely.

Enough, already. If this is what they do for Russert, they ought to plan on shutting the whole country down for a week when a real TV news giant like Walter Cronkite passes away (and it's a sure bet that a class act like Cronkite won't want such an ostentatious display).....

[Eurobabe]

42. I'm glad my cable box is out right now n/t

[bluedawg12]

44. Yeah- the world has not stopped aren't there other crises? n/t

[Holly_Hobby]

45. I wouldn't mind this kind of coverage IF:

they also reported all the coffins coming back from Iraq.

[PeaceNikki]

46. Oh phooey, most people tuning into NBC affiliates are going there FOR Russert coverage

Other networks are not "stuck" on this topic.

Change the channel. Most people don't tune into MSNBC 24-7. The people who watch it an hour a day probably appreciate the coverage.

[stray cat]

52. Agreed - if you don't like it get off the couch and change channels

or go out and do something productive to help the problems you want reported ie floods and the war.

[SirDaddybear]

48. Tim deserves every second....

for sure he deserves it more than the freak in the WH oval office chair will ever deserve such.

[jgraz]

57. Timmeh helped put that freak in the Oval Office. Don't ever forget that.

[SirDaddybear]

68. And?

so did about half this Board I would wager.

Who knew he would be such a complete and total dud....a resident rather than a president? I thank God every day I did not vote for the jerk...

Tim was fair...I KNOW that.

[stray cat]

51. If you don't want to watch it change the channel to CNN or Fox

[Jawja]

53. Although I am sorry for Russert's family

and his colleagues at NBC and the Corporate Media in general, I am DISMAYED at the wall-to-wall coverage we are getting over the event. I and am particularly angry about the "what does this mean for America" and "great loss for America" talking point I've heard from various colleagues.

This is their opinion and they have a right to their opinion and since they were close to Russert as a person, I can understand it; but it is the projecting of their loss onto the public that disturbs me. I don't mean that viewers like me who enjoyed his commentaries, his program and his interviews, won't miss Tim Russert. I surely will. Particularly when it comes to election coverage and I will miss him in this historic year. I would miss any person who has contributed in a meaningful way to the national discourse as Russert surely has. Rest in Peace, Tim Russert.

HOWEVER, the notion that somehow America NEEDED and DEPENDED upon Tim Russert's opinion and analysis and grilling interviews - of Democratic candidates, no less (and America NEEDED 20 minutes of Reverend Wright questions into an interview of Obama) is absurd. The implication is the American People cannot form their own opinions by absorbing events and processing information. The implication is the American People depend on a TV talking head to determine what the focus should be and should not be in regard to what is and what is not a critical issue. That's why Dick Cheney went to Tim Russert and "Meet the Press" when he needed to reinforce the "we must invade Iraq" talking point and the "Iraq is going well" talking point; and I don't remember Russert spending 20 minutes challenging him on his lies.

I don't mean to diminish the accomplishments of Tim Russert. But I am SICK of the Corporate Media talking heads who over estimate their grand importance to America when they've been complicit in the theft of a Presidential election, complicit in enabling war crimes against the people of Iraq and complicit in the dismantling of civil rights enabled by international treaties and the U.S. Constitution because they know IT IS THEIR JOB TO TELL US WHAT IS IMPORTANT AND WHAT WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT IT instead of delivering the news and providing balanced editorial that truly informs the public. They are over doing the coverage of Russert's death because they want us to understand how important THEY are to US.

[ladjf]

56. Bloated coverage.

[SmellsLikeDeanSpirit]

58. Don't like it, change the channel.

[cascadiance]

60. I wonder how Tom Brokaw feels now doing this show for him. He also went to school at Iowa!

He must be wondering if he will be "allowed" to talk about where he used to hang out where he first started college being half destroyed this week before transferring to South Dakota. On the other hand, he must be also torn up about Russert too!

http://www.midtod.com/highlights/brokaw.phtml

You also attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City for awhile. Is there anything about that time that sticks out in your mind?

Well ya, a couple of things. I made a lot of wonderful friends and I disappointed a lot of friends of my parents because I spent a lot of time majoring in beer and coeds, I'm afraid, my freshman year. But I retain my ties to Iowa. It was my first real experience outside the confines of South Dakota over an extended length of time. And I began to appreciate how much wider the world is. I made friends from a lot of different places, even though it was just one state over. It was a big university with lots of resources, so I have the fondest memory of it.

[and-justice-for-all]

61. "Flags at half staff" ...Please say that is not so?

That is over the top and the excessive coverage is just a distraction from real issues, like the M$M every really covers real issues anyway, but... Watching the M$M kills brain cells, I recommend not watching it EVER!

I never considered any news anchor a journalist, they read their scripts and fall orders, I do not think of them as real journalist.

[Mind_your_head]

62. I don't have/watch teevee......

still glad that I don't anymore.

What a travesty to be focusing on one man of 'dubious' character (considering the influence that he had....YES, his character is doubtful).

...

[Joe the Revelator]

64. Why does this bother you so much?

Is it that its too hard to change the channel? Are you missing watching the docblock that MSNBC normally puts on the weekends. I mean we're all fans of LOCKED UP: LIFE BEHIND BARS, but they have the right to use their channels to pay tribute to Russert if they want to. Its not for you to pass judgment on them .

[Rex]

65. Goes to show how many people here listened to a political hack.

No wonder Americans are so uninformed.

[sendero]

69. It's just more propaganda..

... like everything the MSM airs. They would have you believe that Russert was some kind of saint.

He wasn't the devil, but he was no saint either. Just another talking head manipulating public opinion for a dollar.