Tim Russert

{{short description|American lawyer and TV journalist (1950–2008)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Tim Russert

| image = Tim Russert (cropped).jpg

| caption = Russert in October 2007

| birthname = Timothy John Russert

| birth_date = {{Birth date|mf=yes|1950|5|7}}

| birth_place = Buffalo, New York, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2008|6|13|1950|5|7}}

| death_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.

| resting_place = Rock Creek Cemetery
Washington, D.C., U.S.

| education = John Carroll University (BA)
Cleveland State University (JD)

| occupation = Journalist

| years_active = 1983–2008

| alias =

| title =

| family =

| spouse = {{marriage|Maureen Orth|1983}}

| children = Luke Russert

| networth =

| credits =

| agent =

| website = [https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4459759 MSNBC Biography]

}}

Timothy John Russert (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was a senior vice president at NBC News and Washington bureau chief, and also hosted an eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview program. He was a frequent correspondent and guest on NBC's The Today Show and Hardball. Russert covered several presidential elections, and he presented the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey on the NBC Nightly News during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Time magazine included Russert in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008.Time. May 12, 2008. Russert was posthumously revealed as a 30-year source for syndicated columnist Robert Novak.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/18/AR2008061802730.html "My Friend and My Source"] The Washington Post. June 18, 2008.

Early life

Russert was born in Buffalo, New York, the son of Elizabeth "Betty" (née Seeley; January 9, 1929 – August 14, 2005), a homemaker, and Timothy Joseph "Big Russ" Russert (November 29, 1923 – September 24, 2009), a sanitation worker.{{cite web|url=https://www.ancestry.com/|title=Ancestry® - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History Records|website=www.ancestry.com}}{{cite news |first=Rich |last=Kellman |title=Russert's Love Affair With Buffalo |url=http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=58638&catid=37 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120918163642/http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=58638&catid=37 |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 18, 2012 |work=WGRZ-TV Buffalo, NY |publisher=wgrz.com |date=June 14, 2008 |access-date=June 14, 2008 }} Elizabeth and Joseph were married for 30 years, before separating in 1976. Russert was the only son and the second of four children; his sisters are Betty Ann (B.A.), Kathleen (Kathy) and Patricia (Trish). His parents were Catholics, and he had German and Irish ancestry.{{cite web|url=https://www.mediabistro.com/jobs/openings/washington-/|title=Washington, DC Jobs & Careers - Find Media Jobs in DC|website=www.mediabistro.com}} He received a Jesuit education{{cite web |access-date=June 13, 2008 |url=http://www.jcu.edu/breakingnews/russert-debate.htm |title=Tim Russert, John Carroll University Class of '72, to Moderate Democratic Debate |publisher=John Carroll University |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321235443/http://www.jcu.edu/breakingnews/russert-debate.htm |archive-date=March 21, 2008 }} from Canisius High School in Buffalo.

He received his Bachelor of Arts in 1972 from John Carroll University and a Juris Doctor with honors from the Cleveland State University College of Law in 1976.

{{cite news

| last = Steinberg

| first = Jacques

| title = Tim Russert, 58, NBC's Face of Politics, Dies

| work = The New York Times

| date = June 14, 2008

| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/business/media/14russert.html

| access-date = June 14, 2008 }} Russert commented on Meet the Press that he went to Woodstock "in a Buffalo Bills jersey with a case of beer." While in law school, an official from his alma mater, John Carroll University, called Russert to ask if he could book some concerts for the school as he had done while a student. He agreed, but said he would need to be paid because he was running out of money to pay for law school. One concert that Russert booked was headlined by a then-unknown singer, Bruce Springsteen, who charged $2,500 for the concert appearance. Russert told this story to Jay Leno when he was a guest on The Tonight Show on NBC on June 6, 2006. John Carroll University has since named its Department of Communication and Theatre Arts in Russert's honor.{{cite web |url=http://www.jcu.edu/communications/ |title=John Carroll University - Tim Russert Department of Communication and Theatre Arts |publisher=Jcu.edu |access-date=July 31, 2010 |archive-date=July 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100725083306/http://www.jcu.edu/communications/ |url-status=dead }}

Professional career

=Political=

Prior to becoming host of Meet the Press, Russert ran one of U.S. Senator Daniel Moynihan's five major offices, based in Buffalo, New York. He later served as special counsel and as chief of staff to Moynihan, a Democrat from Hell's Kitchen, New York. In 1983, he became a top aide to New York Governor Mario Cuomo, also a Democrat.

=NBC News: Washington bureau chief and host of ''Meet the Press''=

Russert joined NBC as an executive, and did not expect to appear on television.{{Cite news |last=Gold |first=Matea |date=2008-08-17 |title=Gotcha, 24/7 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-aug-17-ca-cable17-story.html |access-date=2024-07-11 |work=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} He was hired by NBC News's Washington bureau in 1984 and became bureau chief by 1989. Russert became host of the Sunday morning program Meet the Press in 1991, and was the longest-serving host of the program. Its name was changed to Meet the Press with Tim Russert, and, at his suggestion, expanded to an hour in 1992. The show also shifted to a greater focus on in-depth interviews with high-profile guests, where Russert was known for extensive preparatory research and cross-examining style. One approach he developed was to find old quotes or video clips that were inconsistent with guests' more recent statements, present them on-air to his guests and then ask them to clarify their positions. With Russert as host the audience grew to more than four million viewers per week, and it was recognized as one of the most important sources of political news. Time magazine named Russert one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008, and Russert often moderated political campaign debates.Cuomo, Mario M. "Tim Russert." Time May 12, 2008

Political coverage and debates

During NBC's coverage of the 2000 presidential election, Russert calculated possible Electoral College outcomes using a whiteboard (now in the Smithsonian Institution) on the air and memorably summed up the outcome as dependent upon "Florida, Florida, Florida."Howard Kurtz, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37798-2004May18.html Washington Post: In the Hot Seat], Washington Post, May 23, 2004. TV Guide described the scene as "one of the 100 greatest moments in TV history."Jonathan Storm, [https://www.inquirer.com/philly/obituaries/20080614_Tim_Russert__giant_of_D_C__journalism__dies.html "Tim Russert, giant of D.C. journalism, dies"] Philadelphia Inquirer, June 13, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008. Russert again accurately predicted the final battleground of the presidential election of 2004: "Ohio, Ohio, Ohio." In the course of the debate leading up to that election, Russert used February 2004 interviews with the two candidates to home in on the paradoxical fact (and the possible consequences for democracy) of their both apparently having been members of Yale University's Skull and Bones secret society. On the MSNBC show Tucker, Russert predicted the battleground states of the 2008 presidential election would be New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada, saying, "If Democrats can win three of those four, they can lose Ohio and Florida, and win the presidency."{{cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/|title=MSN - Outlook, Office, Skype, Bing, Breaking News, and Latest Videos|website=www.msn.com}}

=Red states and blue states=

According to The Washington Post, the phrases red states and blue states were coined by Tim Russert, although in that same article Russert states that he wasn't the first to use the terminology.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17079-2004Nov1.html|title=Elephants Are Red, Donkeys Are Blue| author=Paul Farhi|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 2, 2004|access-date=August 13, 2008}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4459759|title=MSNBC.com About Meet the Press|website=NBC News |date=March 5, 2004 |access-date=June 13, 2008}} This term refers to those states of the United States of America whose residents predominantly vote for the Republican Party (red) or Democratic Party (blue) presidential candidates, respectively. John Chancellor, Russert's NBC colleague, is credited with using red and blue to represent the states on a US map for the 1976 presidential election, but at that time Republican states were blue, and Democratic states were red. (How the colors got reversed is not entirely clear.) During the 1984 presidential election, between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale, ABC News used a map which showed Republican states as red and Democratic states as blue. According to David Brinkley, that was because Red = R = Reagan.https://www.youtube.com/7IS7W9XSoq8{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Mainstream political discussion following the 2000 presidential election used red state/blue state more frequently.

=CIA leak scandal=

In the Plame affair, Scooter Libby, convicted chief of staff for Vice President Dick Cheney, told special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald that Russert told him of the identity of Central Intelligence Agency officer Valerie Plame (who is married to former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson). Russert testified previously, and again in United States v. I. Lewis Libby, that he would neither testify whether he spoke with Libby nor would he describe the conversation.{{cite web |url= http://wid.ap.org/documents/libbytrial/feb7/DX1572.pdf |title= Declaration of Tim Russert |access-date= June 14, 2008 |archive-date= September 4, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080904055321/http://wid.ap.org/documents/libbytrial/feb7/DX1572.pdf |url-status= dead }} {{small|(185 KB)}}. United States of America v. I. Lewis Libby. United States District Court for the District of Columbia. June 4, 2004. Retrieved 2008-06-13. Page 3.{{dead link|date=January 2015}}In the indictment of Libby, the grand jury found that Russert did not ask Libby if Libby knew that Wilson's wife worked for the CIA. {{cite web |url= http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/documents/libby_indictment_28102005.pdf |title= Indictment |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080528062030/http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/osc/documents/libby_indictment_28102005.pdf |archive-date= May 28, 2008 }} {{small|(152 KB)}}. United States of America v. I. Lewis Libby. United States District Court for the District of Columbia. October 28, 2005. Retrieved 2008-06-13. Page 19. Russert did say, however, that Plame's identity as a CIA operative was not leaked to him. Russert testified again in the trial on February 7, 2007.Lewis, Neil A. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/09/washington/09libby.html NBC's Russert Wraps Up Prosecution Case in Libby Trial]. The New York Times. February 9, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-13. According to The Washington Post, Russert testified that "when any senior government official calls him, they are presumptively off the record," saying: "when I talk to senior government officials on the phone, it's my own policy our conversations are confidential. If I want to use anything from that conversation, then I will ask permission."Froomkin, Dan (February 8, 2007) [http://busharchive.froomkin.com/BL2007020801013_pf.htm Washington Journalism on Trial], Washington Post

At the trial, the prosecution asserted that a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent had called Russert regarding Russert's phone call with Libby, and that Russert had told the agent that the subject of Plame had not come up during his conversation with Libby. Russert was posthumously revealed as a thirty-year source of columnist Robert Novak, whose original article revealed Plame's affiliation with the CIA. In a Slate.com article, Jack Shafer argued that "the Novak-Russert relationship poses a couple of questions. [...] Russert's long service as an anonymous source to Novak...requires further explanation."{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2193946/pagenum/all/|title=Novak, Russert, and the Washington Protection Racket|work=Slate|date=June 20, 2008}} In a posthumous commentary, the L.A. Times wrote that, "Like former New York Times reporter Judith Miller, Russert was one of the high-level Washington journalists who came out of the Libby trial looking worse than shabby." The article's author, Tim Rutten, argued that although Russert and NBC had claimed that these conversations were protected by journalistic privilege, "it emerged under examination [that] Russert already had sung like a choirboy to the FBI concerning his conversation with Libby—and had so voluntarily from the first moment the Feds contacted him. All the litigation was for the sake of image and because the journalistic conventions required it."{{cite web|url=https://fair.org/|title=FAIR}}{{reliable source|date=January 2015}}

=Iraq War=

In the lead-up to the Iraq War, Meet the Press featured interviews with top government officials including Vice President Dick Cheney. CBS Evening News correspondent Anthony Mason praised Russert's interview techniques: "In 2003, as the United States prepared to go to war in Iraq, Russert pressed Vice President Dick Cheney about White House assumptions." However, Salon.com reported a statement from Cheney press aide Cathie Martin regarding advice she says she offered when the Bush administration had to respond to charges that it manipulated pre-Iraq War intelligence: "I suggested we put the vice president on Meet the Press, which was a tactic we often used. It's our best format."[http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/01/26/cheney/index.html Salon.com, "Senator: Cheney Delayed Iraq Intel Probe," Alex Koppelman, January 26, 2007.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070509231440/http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2007/01/26/cheney/index.html |date=May 9, 2007 }} David Folkenflik quoted Russert in his May 19, 2004, Baltimore Sun article:

{{quote|I don't think the public was, at that time, particularly receptive to hearing it," Russert says. "Back in October of 2002, when there was a debate in Congress about the war in Iraq—three-fourths of both houses of Congress voted with the president to go. Those in favor were so dominant. We don't make up the facts. We cover the facts as they were.}}

Folkenflik went on to write:

{{quote|Russert's remarks would suggest a form of journalism that does not raise the insolent question from outside polite political discourse—so, if an administration's political foes aren't making an opposing case, it's unlikely to get made. In the words of one of my former editors, journalists can read the polls just like anybody else.}}

In the 2007 PBS documentary, Buying the War, Russert commented:

{{quote|My concern was, is that there were concerns expressed by other government officials. And to this day, I wish my phone had rung, or I had access to them.}}

=2008 presidential debate=

At the February debate, Russert was criticized for what some perceived as disproportionately tough questioning of Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/us/politics/18moderator.html | work=The New York Times | first=Jacques | last=Steinberg | title=Who Lost the Debate? Moderators, Many Say | date=April 18, 2008}} Among the questions, Russert had asked Clinton, but not Obama, to provide the name of the new Russian President (Dmitry Medvedev). This was later parodied on Saturday Night Live. In October 2007, liberal commentators accused Russert of harassing Clinton over the issue of supporting drivers' licenses for illegal immigrants.{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/18/AR2008041800912.html | newspaper=The Washington Post | first=Howard | last=Kurtz | title=The Backlash Against ABC | date=April 18, 2008}}

Enthusiasm for sports

Russert grew up as a New York Yankees fan, switching his allegiance to the Washington Nationals when they were established in Washington, D.C. Russert held season tickets to both the Nationals and the Washington Wizards{{cite news|access-date=June 13, 2008|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/02/05/this_russert_will_be_interrogating_athletes_on_radio/|title=This Russert will be interrogating athletes on radio |work=The Boston Globe|date=February 5, 2006|author=Reiss, Mike}} and was elected to the board of directors of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in 2003.

A lifelong fan of the Buffalo Bills football team, Russert often closed Sunday broadcasts during the football season with a statement of encouragement for the franchise.{{cite news|title=Through generations of Russerts, Bills legacy lives on|url=https://www.buffalobills.com/news/through-generations-of-russerts-bills-legacy-lives-on-10357235|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=BuffaloBills.com|date=June 15, 2013|access-date=May 8, 2022}}{{cite web|title=Remembering Russert: Bills had a special place in journalist's life|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/remembering-russert-bills-had-a-special-place-in-journalist-s-l-09000d5d808d35c1|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=NFL.com|date=June 14, 2008|access-date=May 8, 2022}} The team released a statement on the day of his death, saying that listening to Russert's "Go Bills" exhortation was part of their Sunday morning game preparation.Quoted by Greta Van Susteren on her Fox News show On The Record with Greta Van Susteren, June 13, 2008 He once prayed publicly on the show with his father when the Bills were going for the Super Bowl for the fourth consecutive time before Super Bowl XXVIII.{{cite web|url=https://www.nfl.com/videos|title=NFL Football Highlights, Clips & Analysis|website=NFL.com}} On July 23, 2008, U.S. Route 20A leading to the Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, New York was renamed the "Timothy J. Russert Highway".[http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07/bush-signs-russ.html Political Radar: Bush Signs "Russert Highway" Into Law] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303200340/http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07/bush-signs-russ.html |date=March 3, 2016 }}

Russert was also a Buffalo Sabres fan and appeared on an episode of Meet the Press next to the Stanley Cup during a Sabres playoff run. While his son was attending Boston College, he often ended Meet the Press with a mention of the success of various Boston College sports teams.

Russert, then a student at the Cleveland–Marshall College of Law, attended Ten Cent Beer Night, a promotion by the Cleveland Indians which ended in a riot at the stadium. "I went with $2 in my pocket," he recalled. "You do the math."{{cite web|last=Jindra|first=Christine|title=Russert returns to Cleveland State for debate|url=http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/02/russert_returns_to_cleveland_s.html|work=Cleveland.com|publisher=Cleveland Live|access-date=July 5, 2011|archive-url=https://archive.today/20090608135526/http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/02/russert_returns_to_cleveland_s.html|archive-date=June 8, 2009|date=February 27, 2008|url-status=dead}}

Author

In 2004 Russert penned a best-selling autobiography, Big Russ and Me,Amazon.com page for book ({{ISBN|978-1-4013-5208-0}}) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401359655] Accessed: June 14, 2008 which chronicled his life growing up in the predominantly Irish-American working-class neighborhood of South Buffalo and his education at Canisius High School. Russert's father Timothy Joseph Russert, "Big Russ", was a World War II veteran who held down two jobs after the war, emphasized the importance of maintaining strong family values, the reverence of faith, and never taking a short cut to reach a goal. Russert claimed to have received over 60,000 letters from people in response to the book, detailing their own experiences with their fathers.[http://www.ksdk.com/news/national/story.aspx?storyid=148159&catid=130 Tim Russert liked St. Louis]. KSDK-TV. June 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-13. He released Wisdom of Our Fathers: Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons in 2005, a collection of some of these letters. This book also became a best-seller.

Cameo television appearance

Russert made a cameo appearance in 1995 on the critically acclaimed police drama, Homicide: Life on the Street. He played the cousin of fictional Baltimore homicide detective Megan Russert."The TV Column", by John Carmody, for The Washington Post, February 2, 1995. He was mentioned by name again on the show in 1996, when it was said that he had introduced his "cousin" to a French diplomat, with whom she then went abroad.{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/entertainment/1996/09/20/1996-09-20_as_always__changing__homicid.html |title=As Always, Changing 'Homicide' right on Target |author=David Bianculli |work=New York Daily News |date=September 20, 1996 |access-date=August 17, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Homicide executive producer Tom Fontana attended the same Buffalo high school as Russert.{{cite news |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/nbc/remembering_russert_from_buffalo_to_big_time_87314.asp |title=Remembering Russert: From Buffalo to Big Time |author=Gail Shister |publisher=TVNewser |date=June 17, 2008 |access-date=February 19, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315104243/http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/nbc/remembering_russert_from_buffalo_to_big_time_87314.asp |archive-date=March 15, 2010 }}

Awards

During his career, Russert received 48 honorary doctorates and won several awards for excellence in journalism:

Paul White Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association (2009),{{cite web |url=http://www.rtdna.org/content/paul_white_award#.U4FBHS8-Ngc |title=Paul White Award |publisher=Radio Television Digital News Association |access-date=May 27, 2014 |archive-date=February 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225052416/http://rtdna.org/content/paul_white_award#.U4FBHS8-Ngc |url-status=dead }}
John Peter Zenger Freedom of the Press Award{{additional citation needed|date=January 2021}}
American Legion Journalism Award
Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award,
Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award
Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism
David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Communication
Catholic Academy for Communication's Gabriel Award
2005 Emmy Award for coverage of the funeral of former President Ronald Reagan.{{cite web

|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4459759

|title=About Meet the Press

|publisher=NBC News

|date=June 13, 2008

|access-date=June 13, 2008

}}

2005 Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member Michael Bloomberg.{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=American Academy of Achievement|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/}}{{cite news|date=2005 |title=2005 Summit Highlights Photo | url=https://achievement.org/summit/2005/|quote= At Gracie Mansion, “Meet the Press” host Tim Russert is inducted into the Academy by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.}}

Minor planet 43763 Russert is named in his honor.{{cite web|url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=43763 |title=(43763) Russert = 1987 KF1 = 1998 HV12 |publisher=Minor planet center}}

Personal life

Russert met Maureen Orth at the 1980 Democratic National Convention; they married in 1983 at the Basilica de San Miguel in Madrid, Spain. Orth has been a special correspondent for Vanity Fair since 1993.

Russert delivered the 2007 Washington University in St. Louis commencement speech.{{Cite web|url=https://libguides.wustl.edu/wustl-commencement/speakers|title=Research Guides: WU Commencement History: Commencement Speakers|last=Rectenwald|first=Miranda|website=libguides.wustl.edu|language=en|access-date=August 26, 2019}}

Their son, Luke,Luke was reportedly named after Buffalo Bisons slugger Luke Easter ({{cite news|url=http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d808d35c1&template=with-video&confirm=true|title=Remembering Russert: Bills had a special place in journalist's life|work=NFL.com|date=June 14, 2008|access-date=June 15, 2008}}); although (as related by Tom Brokaw at Russert's memorial service) Russert had told actor Paul Newman that the inspiration had been Newman's character Cool Hand Luke; his father also referred to St. Luke as his son's "namesake".({{cite news|url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/25186698/|title=Tim Russert's son 'eternally grateful' for his dad's love|publisher=NBC News|date=June 16, 2008|access-date=June 16, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618184538/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/25186698/|archive-date=June 18, 2008}}) graduated from Boston College in 2008. He hosted the XM Radio show 60/20 Sports with James Carville, and was an intern with ESPN's Pardon the Interruption and NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien. On July 31, 2008, NBC News announced that Luke Russert would serve as an NBC News correspondent covering the youth perspective on the 2008 United States presidential election.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/25935768 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111195441/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/25935768/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 11, 2013 |title=Russert's son joins NBC News |publisher=NBC News |date=July 31, 2008}}

The Russert family lived in northwest Washington, D.C., and also spent time at a vacation home on Nantucket Island, where Tim served on the board of several non-profit organizations.

{{cite web

|last=Myers

|first=K.C.

|title=Russert involved in Nantucket life

|publisher=Cape Cod Times

|date=June 14, 2008 |url=http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080614/NEWS/806140350/-1/rss01

|access-date=June 14, 2008 |url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621135519/http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20080614%2FNEWS%2F806140350%2F-1%2Frss01

|archive-date=June 21, 2008 }}

In an interview in the 2010 documentary Mister Rogers & Me, he spoke of his admiration for his friend Fred Rogers, host of the iconic PBS children's program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" whom he and his family met on Nantucket.

Russert, a devout Catholic, said many times he had made a promise to God to never miss Sunday Mass if his son were born healthy. In his writing and in his news reporting, Russert spoke openly and fondly of his Catholic school education and of the role of the Catholic Church in his life. He was an outspoken supporter of Catholic education on all levels.

{{cite web

|last=Catholic News Service

|title=Russert remembered for his fondness for church, faithfulness

|publisher=Catholic News Service

|date=June 13, 2008 |url=http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0803173.htm

|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20080708211239/http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0803173.htm

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=July 8, 2008

|access-date=June 14, 2008 }}

Russert said that his father, a sanitation worker who never finished high school, "worked two jobs all his life so his four kids could go to Catholic school, and those schools changed my life." He also spoke warmly of the Catholic nuns who taught him. "Sister Mary Lucille founded a school newspaper and appointed me editor and changed my life," he said. Teachers in Catholic schools "taught me to read and write, but also how to tell right from wrong."

Russert also contributed his time to numerous Catholic charities. He was particularly devoted and concerned for the welfare of street kids in the United States and children who died from street violence. He told church workers attending the 2005 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering that "if there's an issue that Democrats, Republicans, conservatives and liberals can agree on, it's our kids."

Russert's favorite beer was Rolling Rock, and, at his funeral, friend and fellow anchor Tom Brokaw brought and raised a Rolling Rock in Russert's memory.[http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/18/russert.memorial.ap/index.html Politicians flock to Russert funeral – CNN.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219033438/http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/18/russert.memorial.ap/index.html |date=December 19, 2008 }}

Shortly before his death, he had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.{{cite web |last1=Blitzer |first1=Wolf |title=Russert's passion showed in religion, family, work, sports |url=https://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/14/blitzer.russert/index.html |website=cnn.com |publisher=Cable News Network (CNN) |access-date=December 6, 2019}}

Death

{{Wikinews|Tim Russert, NBC News "Meet the Press" moderator dies at age 58}}

Shortly after 1:30 pm on Friday, June 13, 2008, Russert collapsed at the offices of WRC-TV, which houses the Washington, D.C., bureau of NBC News where he was chief. He was recording voiceovers for the Sunday edition of Meet the Press. In a speech he gave at the Kennedy Center, Brian Williams said that Russert's last words were, "What's happening?" spoken as a greeting to NBC Washington bureau editing supervisor Candace Harrington as he passed her in the hallway.{{cite news

|access-date=June 22, 2008

|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/18/brian-williams-at-tim-rus_n_107932.html

|title=Brian Williams At Tim Russert Memorial (VIDEO)

|work=The Huffington Post

|date=June 18, 2008

|first=Danny

|last=Shea

}} He then walked down the hallway to record voiceovers in the soundproof booth and collapsed. A co-worker began to perform CPR on him. The District of Columbia Fire and Rescue service received a call from NBC at 1:40 pm, and dispatched an EMS unit which arrived at 1:44 pm. Paramedics attempted to defibrillate Russert's heart three times, but he did not respond. Russert was then transported to Sibley Memorial Hospital, arriving at 2:23 pm, where he was pronounced dead.[https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2008-06-13-russert-obit_N.htm?csp=34 "NBC's Tim Russert dead at 58" USA Today June 14, 2008] He was 58 years old.

{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?205969-1/tim-russert-death-announcement NBC News announcement of Russert's death by Tom Brokaw, June 13, 2008]}}

In accordance with the American journalistic standard established in the 1950s, the public announcement of Russert's death was withheld by the wire services and his network's competitorsFrom Neil Cavuto, host of Cavuto's World, on the Fox News Channel, June 13, 2008, broadcast until Russert's family had been notified. Retired NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw then delivered, live on NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC, the breaking news of his death. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams was on assignment in Afghanistan and could not anchor the special report.{{cite news|access-date=June 13, 2008|url=http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/06/13/brokaw.russert.announcement.nbc|title=Tim Russert dead at 58|publisher=CNN|date=June 13, 2008}} CBS and ABC also interrupted programming to report Russert's death. Armen Keteyian reported the news for CBS and Charles Gibson reported for ABC. Russert had just returned from a family vacation in Rome, Italy, where he had celebrated his son's graduation from Boston College.{{cite news|access-date=June 13, 2008

|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/13/AR2008061302423_pf.html |newspaper=The Washington Post

|title=NBC's Tim Russert Dies at 58: Host of 'Meet the Press' Stricken While at Office

|author=Kurtz, Howard and William Branigin

|date=June 13, 2008}} While his wife and son remained in Rome, Russert had returned to prepare for his Sunday television show.{{cite news

|access-date = June 13, 2008

|url = http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/russert-dies-of-apparent-heart-attack/index.html

|publisher = The New York Times

|title = NBC's Tim Russert Dies

|author = Seelye, Katharine Q.

|date = June 13, 2008

|work = The Caucus

|url-status = dead

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080614043619/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/13/russert-dies-of-apparent-heart-attack/index.html

|archive-date = June 14, 2008

}}

Russert's longtime friend and physician, Dr. Michael Newman, said that his asymptomatic coronary artery disease had been controlled with medication (LDL-C was <70 mg/dL{{cite web|url=https://peterattiamd.com/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-part-vi/|title=The straight dope on cholesterol – Part VI|date=May 30, 2012|website=Peter Attia}}) and exercise, and that he had performed well on a stress test on April 29 of that year. An autopsy performed on the day of his death determined that his history of coronary artery disease led to a myocardial infarction (heart attack) and ventricular fibrillation with the immediate cause being an occlusive coronary thrombosis in the left anterior descending artery resulting from a ruptured cholesterol plaque.{{cite news

|access-date=June 13, 2008

|url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080613/ts_nm/usa_media_russert_dc

|title=TV newsman Tim Russert dies of heart attack

|author=Morgan, David

|publisher=Reuters

|date=June 13, 2008

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080624134211/http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080613/ts_nm/usa_media_russert_dc |archive-date = June 24, 2008}}

Russert is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery. The Newseum in Washington, D.C., exhibited a recreation of Russert's office with original elements such as his desks, bookshelves, folders, loose leaf papers and notebooks. In August 2014, the exhibit was disassembled at the Newseum and transported to the Buffalo History Museum. The exhibit entitled "Inside Tim Russert's Office: If it's Sunday It's Meet the Press", opened in October 2014 with Luke Russert and others giving opening remarks. The exhibit can be viewed during the normal business hours of the Buffalo History Museum.{{cite web |last1=Buckley |first1=Eileen |title=Tim Russert office exhibit moving to Buffalo History Museum |url=https://news.wbfo.org/post/tim-russert-office-exhibit-moving-buffalo-history-museum |website=wbfo.org |date=February 13, 2014 |publisher=WBFO |access-date=December 6, 2019}}

=Reaction=

File:Tim RussertMemorial.jpg, the site of studios for Meet the Press]]

{{external media| float = right|width=230px | video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?206049-1/tim-russert-memorial-service Tim Russert Memorial Service, June 18, 2008], C-SPAN}}

On the evening of his death, the entire, nearly commercial-free half-hour of NBC Nightly News was dedicated to Russert's memory. Bill and Hillary Clinton released a joint statement saying Russert "had a love of public service and a dedication to journalism that rightfully earned him the respect and admiration of not only his colleagues but also those of us who had the privilege to go toe to toe with him." Many of his colleagues in both newspaper and television reporting also offered tribute to Russert in this and other programs.{{cite news|title=NBC remembers Russert on first 'Meet the Press' since his death|publisher=CNN.com|date=June 15, 2008|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/15/russert.sunday/index.html|access-date=June 15, 2008}}{{cite news |first=Sally |last=Quinn |title='Meet the Press' Host Tim Russert Dies at 58|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/06/13/DI2008061302404.html|newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 13, 2008 |access-date=June 14, 2008}} Other major news agencies, including CBS, ABC, CNN, Fox News, and the BBC spent large segments of their programming on June 13 reporting about Russert's life and career.{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25148584|title=Reactions to Tim Russert's death|date=June 13, 2008 |access-date=June 13, 2008|publisher=NBC News}} President George W. Bush stated in a news conference with French president Nicolas Sarkozy: "America lost a really fine citizen yesterday when Tim Russert passed away. I've had the privilege of being interviewed by Tim Russert. I found him to be a hardworking, thorough, decent man. And Tim Russert loved his country, he loved his family, and he loved his job a lot." Bruce Springsteen, a friend of Russert's, gave an on-stage tribute to him while performing in Cardiff, Wales, on June 14 and again at Russert's televised Kennedy Center memorial service, calling him "an important irreplaceable voice in American journalism" and offering condolences to his family.Bruce Springsteen Tribute, {{cite web |url=http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html |title=Bruce Springsteen News: Brucespringsteen.net |access-date=April 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130091230/http://www.brucespringsteen.net/news/index.html |archive-date=January 30, 2010 }}. Retrieved June 16, 2008. On the June 13, 2008, episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, O'Brien simply walked onto the stage at the start of the show. Instead of his usual upbeat antics and monologue, O'Brien announced that he had just received news about the sudden death of his good friend, fellow NBC employee and frequent Late Night guest Tim Russert. O'Brien proceeded to show two clips of his favorite Russert Late Night moments.{{cite web|url = http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/06/14/tim-russert/|title = Conan O'Brien Pays Tribute to Tim Russert| date=June 14, 2008 }}

Some journalists criticized the amount of media coverage that Russert's death received. Jack Shafer of Slate called NBC's coverage a "never-ending video wake."{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2193689/|title=The Canonization of Saint Russert: The media overdo the death of a journalist|last=Shafer|first=Jack |date=June 16, 2008|work=Slate|access-date=June 21, 2008}} Washington Post writer Paul Farhi also expressed disapproval, noting that a print journalist would likely not have received similar attention.{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/06/17/DI2008061700808.html|title=Station Break|last=Farhi|first=Paul |date=June 17, 2008|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=June 21, 2008}} Chicago Tribune columnist Julia Keller questioned the volume of coverage as well as the labeling of Russert's death as "a national tragedy."{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/features/arts/chi-lit-life-main-0622jun22,0,7978330.column|title=The tempest over Tim: Did the media overplay Russert's death?|last=Keller|first=Julia|date=June 20, 2008|work=Chicago Tribune|access-date=June 21, 2008}}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }}

Mark Leibovich of The New York Times Magazine wrote in his book, This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral—Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!—in America's Gilded Capital, about how Russert's funeral in many ways became a spectacle of some of Washington's worst cultural characteristics, largely centering on self-interest and posturing, while feigning remorse for the loss of the deceased.{{cite news|last=Carlock|first=Happy|title='This Town' and Washington's Bipartisan Culture of Dysfunction|url=https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/07/25/this-town-and-washingtons-bipartisan-culture-of-dysfunction|access-date=July 25, 2013|newspaper=U.S. News & World Report|date=July 25, 2013}}{{cite news|last=Bragg, Gillespie|first=Meredith, Nick|title=This Town's Mark Leibovich on Shaming D.C.'s Power Elite|url=http://reason.com/reasontv/2013/07/19/this-town-author-mark-leibovich-on-shami|access-date=July 25, 2013|newspaper=Reason|date=July 19, 2013}}{{cite news|last=Allen, Vandehei|first=Mike, Jim|title='This Town': A Washington takedown|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/04/mark-leibovich-book-this-town-90660.html|access-date=July 25, 2013|newspaper=Politico|date=April 25, 2013}} Some attendees even went as far as handing out business cards{{cite news|last=Pillifant|first=Reid|title=That Town: Mark Leibovich's 'Takedown' of the Washington Club|url=http://observer.com/2013/07/that-town-mark-leibovichs-takedown-of-the-washington-club/|access-date=July 25, 2013|newspaper=The New York Observer|date=July 23, 2013}} and vying for good seating.{{cite news|last=Linkins|first=Jason|title=Politico Grouses About Forthcoming Mark Leibovich Book In The Most 'Beltway Insider' Article Ever Written|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/26/politico-mark-leibovich_n_3162250.html|access-date=July 25, 2013|newspaper=The Huffington Post|date=April 26, 2013}} Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's Morning Joe dubbed the scene "a new low, even for Washington tackiness".{{cite book|last=Leibovich|first=Mark|title=This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral-Plus, Plenty of Valet Parking!-in America's Gilded Capital|year=2013|publisher=Blue Rider Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0399161308|page=Online excerpt|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780399161308}}

Career timeline

;Political career

1977–1982 – chief of staff to Daniel Patrick Moynihan
1983–1984 – counselor to Mario Cuomo

;Broadcast career

1984–1988 – senior vice president of NBC News' Washington operations
1995 – Homicide: Life on the Street (cameo appearance as self, but as fictitious cousin of Captain Megan Russert)
1988–2008 – Washington bureau chief of NBC News
1991–2008 – moderator of Meet the Press
1992–2006 – co-anchor of NBC News' election night coverage

;Debates moderated

1991 – Ex-Gov. Edwin Edwards and State Rep. David Duke, candidates for Governor of Louisiana{{cite web|url=http://cenlamar.com/2008/06/14/ |title=2008 June 14 |date=June 14, 2008 |publisher=Cenlamar.com |access-date=July 31, 2010}}
1994 – Gov. Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush, candidates for Governor of Florida{{cite web|url=http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jun/13/russert-was-fixture-florida-debates/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203140714/http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jun/13/russert-was-fixture-florida-debates/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 3, 2013 |title=Russert Was A Fixture At Florida Debates |publisher=.tbo.com |date=June 13, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2010 }}
1998 – Sen. Bob Graham vs. State Sen. Charlie Crist, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida
January 2000 – in New Hampshire involving Republican candidates for President{{cite web |url=http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2000/cyb20000107.asp |title=Media Research Center CyberAlert - 01/07/2000 - Russert & Williams Easy on Dems, Tough on Bush |publisher=Mediaresearch.org |access-date=July 31, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100324101421/http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2000/cyb20000107.asp |archive-date=March 24, 2010 }}
January 2000 – in New Hampshire involving Democratic candidates for President
2000 – Bill McCollum vs. Bill Nelson, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida
September 2000 – in Buffalo Rep. Rick Lazio and First Lady Hillary Clinton, candidates for U.S. Senate from New York{{cite news| url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9502E2D91238F937A2575AC0A9669C8B63&scp=51&sq=%22tim+russert%22+debate&st=nyt | work=The New York Times | title=THE SENATE DEBATE: EXCERPTS; From Candidates, Strong Words on Soft Money, Health Care and Chutzpah | date=September 14, 2000 | access-date=March 28, 2010}}
October 2000 – involving candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida{{cite web|url=http://www.sptimes.com/News/102200/news_pf/Artsandentertainment/Moderator_saving_his_.shtml |title=Artsandentertainment: Moderator saving his best for the debate |publisher=Sptimes.com |date=October 22, 2000 |access-date=July 31, 2010}}
2002 – Bill McBride and Gov. Jeb Bush, candidates for Governor of Florida
2002 – Shannon O'Brien vs. Mitt Romney, candidates for Governor of Massachusetts{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/06/14/tim_russert_tenacious_journalist_dead_at_58/?page=2 |title=Tim Russert, tenacious journalist, dead at 58 - The Boston Globe |publisher=Boston.com |date=June 14, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2010 | first=Don | last=Aucoin}}
2004 – Betty Castor and HUD Secretary Mel Martinez, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida
October 2005 – A.G. Jerry Kilgore and Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, candidates for governor of Virginia{{cite web |url=http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=569582 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507125443/http://www.wtopnews.com/index.php?nid=25&sid=569582 |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 7, 2017 |title=The First 'Great' Debate in Virginia - wtop.com |publisher=Wtopnews.com |date=September 13, 2005 |access-date=July 31, 2010 }}
November 2006 – in Orlando Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Katherine Harris, candidates for U.S. Senate from Florida{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061102/NEWS/611020476 |title=Harris, Nelson challenge records in TV debate |publisher=HeraldTribune.com |date=November 2, 2006 |access-date=July 31, 2010}}
September 2007 – in New Hampshire involving Democratic candidates for U.S. President{{cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2007/09/26/2007-09-26_hillary_flipflops_contradicts_bill___her.html |title=Hillary flip-flops, contradicts Bill - & herself - in N.H. debate |publisher=Nydailynews.com |date=September 27, 2007 |access-date=July 31, 2010 |location=New York |first1=Ian |last1=Bishop |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922033326/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2007/09/26/2007-09-26_hillary_flipflops_contradicts_bill___her.html |archive-date=September 22, 2008 }}
October 2007 – (co-moderator) of debate in Philadelphia involving Democratic candidates for U.S. presidentDemocratic Party presidential debates, 2008#October 30, 2007 - NBC 9:00pm EDT - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Drexel University
January 2008 – in Boca Raton, Florida, involving Republican candidates for President{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/01/25/mccain/print.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120910044122/http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2008/01/25/mccain/print.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 10, 2012 |title=Politics | Russert 1, McCain 0 |work=Salon.com |date=January 25, 2008 |access-date=July 31, 2010 }}
January 2008 – in Las Vegas, Nevada, involving Democratic candidates for President{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/us/politics/15demdebate-transcript.html| work=The New York Times | title=The Democratic Debate in Las Vegas | date=January 15, 2008 | access-date=March 28, 2010}}
March 2008 – (co-moderator) at Cleveland State between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama, Democratic candidates for U.S. President

References

External links

[https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4459759 Tim Russert] – MSNBC biography
{{C-SPAN|12729}}
[https://www.c-span.org/video/?94704-1/meet-press-50-years-history Booknotes interview with Russert on Meet the Press: 50 Years of History in the Making, December 7, 1997.]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080622144450/http://www.timrussert.info/ Remembering Tim Russert]
{{newseum front page archive|event=Print media's reaction to Russert's death|month=06|day=14|year=08}}
{{Find a Grave|27526951}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110610022237/http://www.jcu.edu/communications/VTS_01_1.wmv2.wmv A Tribute to Tim Russert '72] – John Carroll University video tribute
{{emmytvlegends name|tim-russert}}
{{IMDb name|0751529}}
[https://inspirationalweb.org/17-tim-russert-inspirational-quotes/ Tim Russert's Inspirational Quotes]