Controversies Surrounding
Russert’s Death and Coverage

There are two controversies that have operated sub-rosa since Tim Russert’s death. The first is that NBC was not the first to break the story. Matt Drudge of the Drudge Report (www.drudgereport.com). Broke the story approximately ten minutes before NBC and MSNBC did. Some have criticized NBC for not breaking the story first. Others have criticized Drudge for beating them to it. Keith Olbermann, who I detest, made a statement the day after Russert’s death stating that NBC and MSNBC held off making the announcement because they wanted to be sure that Russert’s family (wife, son, father, three sisters) had all been informed before they went on the air. He was harsh toward those who went ahead with the announcement.

This is (yet another) case where the ProConPundit is able to convey the simple logic of the situation. NBC was correct to hold off. They were also waiting to get Tom Brokaw in the studio. Brian Williams was in Afghanistan and they wanted Brokaw to make the announcement. I think that makes sense. It wasn’t a tornado warning, time was not of the essence to those of us hearing the news. At the same time, Drudge was completely correct to break the story.

The other controversy is that the coverage of Russert’s death was excessive or over the top. Bullshit. CNN, Fox News and MSNBC say the same things over and over again all the time, anyway. What was the harm in using the airwaves for a few days to remember someone who contributed uniquely to American culture and life.