Tim Russert vs. Nick Hogan
For the last 72 hours the nation has been mourning Tim
Russert. His sudden death has caused a frenzied examination on his incredible impact
he has made even long before he took over the chair on “Meet the Press.” His
friends have marveled that he was an ordinary guy, the son of a street
sanitation driver who reached the pinnacle of journalistic feats as he
interviewed anyone who was anyone on Sundays at 10 a.m.
While Mr. Russert’s death is a tragedy to his family and
friends, the wider calamity is the vacuous state of political journalism that
Mr. Russert filled to some degree, but has been glaringly evident during the 21st
century. If this situation is not bettered, we face a far greater threat to our
democracy than Saddam Hussein ever was.
Why was Mr. Russert
so revered? According to his own words and the reflections of colleagues, he
asked politicians difficult, but fair questions, that served the public’s right
to know. He held the rich and powerful accountable for their decisions and
opinions. His lawyerly training assisted in this endeavor and in effect he was
the people’s prosecutor, convening his grand jury at the start of every week.
Mr. Russert embodied the ideal role of political journalist.
Unfortunately, he was the lone ranger. I was watching Nancy Grace the other
night and she spent most of her program assessing the Nick Hogan situation
(Hulk Hogan’s son). Hahahahah. I kept watching, waiting for her to switch
topics, this had to be a sick joke of some sort, but no, Nick Hogan and his
phone calls from jail that were released by TMZ was the important subject
matter she addressed.
Nancy Grace seems incredibly intelligent. What a waste of a
mind. Indeed it is imperative that journalists not just use their time on
television to discuss the inane. Nor should they be pretty faces or men and
women who can use Smart technology to draw colorful lines on a red and blue
map. If they do their jobs correctly,
they are essentially the fourth branch of government; the people’s branch of
government. After we elect the president, senators, or representatives, the
public is virtually powerless (sans emails and lobbying that so few people do)
to challenge the power brokers who determine the future of
America
. The
media, along with our government, failed us with the war in
Iraq
. The
coverage was entirely one sided and lacked nuance. Because of this blunder, we
are embroiled in a never ending war that is costing billions of billions of
dollars.
These failures are no accident. Despite the vast access to
news thanks to internet, the people reporting the news are decreasing. You may
see thousands of articles written on a particular subject as you search it on
Google, but many of them are by the same authors: Reuters or the Associated
Press. As newspapers have become less profitable, publishers are spending less
on their newsrooms and cutting our representatives, the men and women who cover
the politicians who decide how our environment is mistreated, how our money is
squandered, and how our future is bleak. The same is true for networks that
have to compete with cable news networks. Their solution is to cover light news
(Nick Hogan) rather than delve into difficult issues.
Profits drive news coverage and the people who will suffer
the most are everyday Americans, the men and women whom Tim Russert
represented. So what is the solution? The only thing I can think of is that the
United States
needs a large not for profit news organization, like the BBC, funded by the
public and private donations. Yes, PBS or NPR, but a new entity without the PBS
or NPR liberal baggage. If governmental power goes unchecked by the media, we
will face more futile wars and a visionless
America
.
Tim Russert will be mourned. It will be discussed how big
his shoes will be to fill. What I want is for there to be many, many, many more
shoes to be filled to protect the American people from unchecked power and from
Nick Hogan.
