The Reason I'll Miss Tim Russert

Try to picture Tim Russert interviewing Britney Spears.

Or, imagine him devoting a segment of Meet the Press to who fathered Anna Nicole's baby.

You can't, can you? That's why Tim Russert's death leaves a massive void in American journalism---in an era when the country seems to be suffering from a massive case of ADD, or, more charitably, at least is easily distractable, Russert was never distracted. When he appeared on television, literally every single time, one knew that whatever he would say would be important, and carry the gravity of our last real "news man". Tim Russert wasn't "pretty"; he didn't win any jobs because of his looks, his haircuts, or his suits. Anyone who's worked in television knows that means he must have been damn good.

He was.

When Tim Russert spoke, the country listened; close to five million people on Sunday mornings alone. But they listened not because he covered the popular stories; they listened because they knew that he didn't. Who else in the media could be so consistently trusted to tackle only really, truly important issues? Not a single network anchor. Not Larry King. Not Bill O'Reilly, Anderson Cooper, Shepherd Smith, or Keith Olbermann. Not that there's anything wrong with giving voice to the occasional "light" story---but there IS something missing when there's no one left who brings the conversation back to what actually matters.

Tim Russert was a media giant, and he did it without flash in a society that's blinded by it.

The next time you watch a newscast that keeps veering into the tabloids, remember Tim Russert...and just once, in his honor, change the channel.