|
For reporting that is an embarrassment to the profession of journalism, and for being beholden to corporate paymasters rather than the citizens of America.
Oh boy, does Tim Russert fit the BuzzFlash Media Putz description
to a "T": "In
recognition for reporting that is an embarrassment to the profession of journalism,
and tailored to corporate paymasters rather than serving the citizens of America."
When you work for NBC, owned by GE, you don't make a lot of political waves
with the status quo in D.C. that gives big fat contracts to your parent corporation.
Tim Russert knows if he ever asked a meaningful follow-up question to Dick
Cheney or any other "guest" from the dark side, a reprimanding phone
call would come from down on high. Those kind of reprimands could dent a fat
paycheck, so Tim knows to just offer up a baby-face smile and let the GOP Masters
of the Universe lie away.
In a tribute he wrote to his father, Russert writes about his love and admiration
for a no-nonsense working class man who raised four children while working
two jobs in South Buffalo, NY. But clearly, while "Big Russ" (as
Tim titled the book and calls his dad) was an admirable working class hero, "Little
Russ" is a toady who left the integrity in Buffalo as he pursued the big
bucks.
Russert's main skill has nothing to do with journalism. It's his affability
ratings when they conduct those strange focus groups where they hook people
up to wires that somehow detect if they "like" a television "'personality." In
short, Tim would never "offend" anyone by pointing out that they
are lying. That maybe why Cheney loves to be interviewed by "Little Russ."
Most recently, BuzzFlash reader Diane Rogers nominated Tim for a lovefest he
held on the July 15 "Meet the Press" with Robert Novak and friends.
It was just one friendly guffaw after another as the entrenched "pundits" provided
a vehicle for promoting Novak's new book.
Diane wrote in her nomination of Russert:
Tim Russert for hosting a
Meet the Press "roundtable" Sunday (7/15) with Robert Novak, Al Hunt,
and "political strategists" Mike Murphy (Republican)
and Robert Shrum (Democrat), in what looked like a get-together
for Novak
to promote
his book,
The Prince of Darkness.
Novak got another chance to say, without rebuttal, that Valerie
Plame couldn't have been covert, and no crime was committed.
The "liberal" Hunt,
in fact, thinks Bob got a "bum rap" in the Plame case and pronounced
the book "fabulous."
There was so much more, including -- forget journalistic confidentiality
from Novak if you're a dead Democratic source. 'Senator X' told Novak in
2003 that he wanted a comment he had made to Novak back in 1972 to remain 'off the
record.' Then Thomas Eagleton made the mistake of dying.
To his credit, Russert did ask Novak if it was okay to reveal a source 'just
because someone dies.' The Prince of Darkness said yes, and it was Tom Eagleton
and when I go to heaven, we can argue it out there. The transcript is on
the MTP Web site.
Read it. You'll never have to wonder what happened to the incestuous-good-ole-boy-press again. It's alive and well on Meet the Press.
We would have loved to
meet "Big Russ." He sounds like the hard-working
middle class American that is quickly fading away, because of Reaganomics
and hack corporate mainstream media shills such as "Little Russ."
Too bad Tim can wax sentimental for integrity in a book that is an homage
to his father, while selling off his credibility each week to his corporate
paymasters.
Tim, "Big Russ" deserved more than working two jobs to raise
a media putz. And you remind us, once again, how easy it is to separate
faux punditry from the truth.
|
