Russertpalooza
By Creature
I have to say I'm with John Cole on this one. After watching an hour or so of MSNBC's coverage last night on the death of its boss, I, too, needed them to shut the fuck up and get on with the news. It's not only that Russert's colleagues were making a myriad of excuses for Meet the Press being the preferred platform to disseminate lies, unquestioned, to the American people, it's that there was real news to report yesterday. However, I'm not sure why this actually pissed me off since any real news has been absent from television for years (and then some).
(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)
I have to say I'm with John Cole on this one. After watching an hour or so of MSNBC's coverage last night on the death of its boss, I, too, needed them to shut the fuck up and get on with the news. It's not only that Russert's colleagues were making a myriad of excuses for Meet the Press being the preferred platform to disseminate lies, unquestioned, to the American people, it's that there was real news to report yesterday. However, I'm not sure why this actually pissed me off since any real news has been absent from television for years (and then some).
(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)
Labels: media criticism, Tim Russert
posted by creature at
11:31 AM
4 Comments:
Tim Russert's death IS real news; NBC is the network HE worked for; and his co-workers are shocked and grief-stricken. Give them all a break for God's sake!!
By
QueersOnTheRise, at 12:27 PM
As I put it in my post on Russert just below this one, I did like him regardless of his obvious faults and the problems with Meet the Press. And I certainly understand why NBC (and the news media generally) would spend so much time looking back over his life and career. He was one of them, a leading member of them, and a significant public figure. The problem, though, is that the media are prone to excessive navel-gazing, making more of themselves than should be made, suggesting that they are more important than whatever else is going on in the world. It's not just that there was "real" news yesterday, it's that there were also other deaths and other tragedies yesterday. And yet it was all about Russert, and I think, in the end, far too much of it. I can certainly put aside my criticisms of the man and the show and the media generally to note that his death was terrible and that it was a sad day and that he will be greatly missed. And much of what I saw yesterday was quite tasteful. It's just that the media don't know when to stop.
By
Michael J.W. Stickings, at 2:28 PM
Yes, his death is news, but not for hours on end. They're still "remembering" right now, hour after hour. Yes, they are understandably shocked and grief-stricken, but how about some private grieving? Put on a doc-bloc marathon and go get drunk and talk about the good old days, again, in private. Sorry, I'm witnessing one huge, inappropriate circle-jerk on the TV and it's gross.
By
creature, at 2:30 PM
I'm with you and John, Creature. I'm finding the deification more than a little over the top but I'n holding my thoughts for a little longer until people who liked him process some their grief.
To the extent that I watched him, which was rarely, I didn't like him myself. I think he was just as culpable as any of the media stars in allowing this administration to destroy everything good about this country.
By
Libby Spencer, at 3:36 PM
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