Memory of Tim Russert disrespected by Fox News

Tim Russert:

Timothy John Russert, Jr. (May 7, 1950 – June 13, 2008) - Journalist, Patriot, Hero:

Tim Russert was an American journalist who hosted NBC's Meet the Press. He was NBC News' Washington Bureau Chief and hosted a weekly interview program on MSNBC. He was a frequent correspondent and guest on NBC's The Today Show and Hardball. He co-hosted the network's presidential Election Night coverage and presented the polling results of the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey on the NBC Nightly News. Russert collapsed and died at his office in Washington on June 13, 2008. -Wikipedia

Tim will be missed by not only the journalists and politicians in Washington, but also us bloggers and all people who cared about current events. He affected each and every one of us, Democrat or Republican. His uncanny ability to be "fair and balanced" held the standard by which every journalist should follow. Tim was incredibly articulate in a way that even the most uneducated and ignorant could understand his interviews. I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to watch his show, see his analysis on television and read his articles from the multiple outlets of coverage that he would provide. He was a wonderful father, a wonderful journalist and a wonderful patriot.

Reading the extremely intelligent articles that Tim has written over the years is one of the reasons I started this blog. Seeing the impact that he had on the people around me, my country and even the world through his writing helped inspire me to become the dedicated and political savvy person I feel I am. His stress on education, rights to free speech and the importance of family, in time, may seem like just a blip in the history of Mankind...but I hope will have a lasting impact by creating a standard by which all of us can and should live by.

While sitting at home switching between the networks fighting back the tears of despair that filled my heart I came across an incredibly disrespectful situation that I feel must be made public. I hope that in posting this I can open some blind eyes to the disrespectful nature of the station that was once known as "Fox News."

Faux News:

I say "once known as" because I used to switch between CNN, CSPAN, Fox News & MSNBC as a budding political junkie. After switching between all of them I began noticing a clear bias that stemmed from Fox News towards the conservative republican side of the fence. It was clear that not only would they have more Republicans on their programs, but they would allow them to go entirely too far in the things that they say:



That is one example of the tasteless filth that Faux News actually considered "Fair and Balanced" reporting. Not only have there been MANY examples in the past...



...but the complete lack of contempt for anything that is said on their precious network is appalling and should be reprimanded.

Faux News Disrespects Tim Russert:

As I stated earlier, I was flipping through the major news channels catching up on the news of the death of Tim Russert. I held steady on CNN for a bit until they went to commercial and then I switched to MSNBC. I did this with plans of switching between the networks at every commercial so that I could, in essence, have commercial free coverage of this historic event. Commercials never came on MSNBC. I watched for a long while with great coverage including Tom Brokaw, Barbara Walters and Pat Buchanan. I began noticing the backgrounds of Tim Russert's past shows, interviews and hand shakes included politicians from all different persuasions. I remember thinking to myself "Wow, this guy knew and got along with everyone!"

It was then I remembered I wasn't switching through the networks anymore. So I switched to Faux News. Commercial. I flipped to CNN for a bit and then back to Faux News. Commercial. I switched over to MSNBC for a few minutes and again switched back to Faux News. COMMERCIAL. "What???," I said out loud. I thought, "Fine, I will wait until it comes back on." I began doing some house chores. SEVEN commercials later and we were back to the news with good ole ex-CNN morning show host, Bill Hemmer. I heard laughing. LAUGHING? Surely not...so I begin to pay attention. Sure enough, Bill Hemmer is on the phone with former Governor George Pataki (R-NY) and they are laughing? From what I could gather they were referencing a humorous moment in the intersected life of Pataki and Russert.

I held fast...determined to find some good information from what I consider a naughty and nastily biased news network. I didn't. What I DID find was so incredibly biased and disrespectful towards such an UNbiased and widely respected journalist that I got up and headed straight here to make this post.

Faux Backdrops Heard Round the World:

A great man has died. His body still being examined. His family still in shock. The country still in shock. Yet Faux News...being the "Fair and Balanced" network that they are...has decided to run the most biased side show I have ever seen.

While watching the coverage of Tim Russert's death on Faux News, I noticed Republican after Republican were interviewed, questioned and asked for their experience on Tim Russert. Almost all of them spoke of how objective and unbiased he was. While these Republicans were speaking (most with the utmost respect), Faux News was putting their own backgrounds on the screen. These backgrounds consisted of the following:

Tim Russert with George W. Bush.
Tim Russert with John McCain.
Tim Russert with George H.W. Bush.
Tim Russert with Rudy Giuliani.
Tim Russert with John McCain.
Tim Russert with Bill O'Reilly.
Tim Russert with Fmr. Gov. Pataki.
Tim Russert with John McCain.
Tim Russert with George W. Bush
Tim Russert with John Stack (Faux News Vice President)
Tim Russert with Dick Cheney
Tim Russert with John McCain.
Tim Russert with Chris Wallace.

Shocked and for lack of a better phrase, "surprisingly surprised," I turned it back to MSNBC. It almost seemed like the producers were using this opportunity (the death of a well respected journalist known for his nonpartisan reporting) to stump for John McCain!

I just couldn't believe it.

A man who lived the greater part of his life being objective and unbiased. A man who lived the last years of his life playing hardball with politicians, from Bill Clinton to John McCain to Barack Obama to George W. Bush. A man who prided himself in doing his job SO WELL that even the closest of his friends had no idea what his political persuasion was.

A man who had just died suddenly...portrayed, through backdrops, the exact opposite of the type of man he was and wanted other journalists and news networks to be.

Shameful, disgraceful...TYPICAL of Faux News.

Mr. Tim Russert, wherever you may be, I wish you eternal happiness and my thoughts are with your family to get them through what will be a very rough time. I want to thank you for all that you have done for journalism, cable news & the hearts and minds of all whose lives you touched with your loving and sincere demeaner. You have made Meet the Press a legend. Your political analysis and objective opinions will be with us forever and always.

Dan