Catholic Exchange

Farewell Tim Russert

Written by

Sr. Rose Pacatte

in

I haven’t missed Meet the Press in 12 years. After Mass it is an essential part of my Sunday morning ritual. I am listening to MSNBC’s ongoing coverage of Tim Russert’s sudden death today, June 13, as I am working. I have this great sense of loss, as if a family member has suddenly gone to heaven without warning.

Tim Russert’s passing has touched me deeply. As a Daughter of St. Paul, with our mission of evangelization with communications media, I have had an enduring interest in discovering integrity in journalism, and civility. Tim Russert lived these values.

The 1971 Vatican document Communio et Progressio spoke about the necessity for people to have access to information so that they can take an active part in democracy:

If public opinion is to be formed in a proper manner, it is necessary that, right from the start, the public be given free access both to the sources and channels of information and be allowed freely to express its own views. Freedom of opinion and the right to be informed go hand in hand (p. 33).

Tim’s journalistic style seemed to have been framed by this teaching because he went after truth, transparency, and accountability in those in public service and/or the public forum.

As Andrea Mitchell said on MSNBC’c coverage of Tim Russert’s death, “Tim set the gold standard” for political journalism and analysis as the moderator of Meet the Press and as NBC’s Washington Bureau Chief. Peggy Noonan and others commented beautifully that Tim was a Catholic in the public forum with obvious joy — and without apology. I think it was Howard Feinman of Newsweek who said if he ever thought of becoming a Catholic, Tim Russert would be the one he would follow into the Church. Cardinal John Foley, with whom Tim and his family had lunch a few days ago in Rome, concurred with the above and more.

Someone just called Tim “the great explanator.” Senator Joe Libermann called him “The explainer-in-chief.” With so much facility, and with dogged persistence, he got the facts and got at them for our benefit. He respected his guests but, to the viewer’s benefit, he did not tolerate fools; he questioned them. What I most appreciated about Tim Russert’s style was that his show was not about him; he was not about his own celebrity. He let his guests speak and he drew them out. He challenged them with their own words but never “talked over” them like so many radio and television commentators do — to my great annoyance.

As a media education specialist I know that the news industry has agendas and perspectives, that ideology and ratings drive the business. So during my years at the Sunday morning Tim Russert Academy of Public Affairs, I tried out other Sunday morning news shows to compare them with Meet the Press to make sure I was getting as complete a picture of our political reality as possible. But none reached the level of objectivity that Tim achieved. Even though Tim’s persistence or insistence that his guests pronounce on a hypothetical situation could sometimes push the limit, I think Tim’s integrity and professionalism ultimately won the day because he made people think. His technique of meaningful and civil inquiry taught me to think beyond the limits of information status quo. For Tim Russert there never was a status quo he couldn’t disturb.

A nun friend of mine sent me an email today saying, “Tim Russert was the best. Such an interviewer; a good man; a good Catholic.” 

A few years ago the Catholic Academy for Communication Arts Professionals honored Tim Russert with a Gabriel Award for Personal Achievement. You can see Tim’s acceptance speech in streaming video on www.catholicacademy.org where he talks about being a Catholic, meeting Pope John Paul II, and bringing The Today Show to the Vatican.

Tim Russert loved his family, his home town of Buffalo, New York, the Buffalo Bills, the nuns who taught him and his Catholic Jesuit education. How proud the Catholic community can be of this magnificent son. He has set the bar for people of good will everywhere who want to be political journalists. He was a mentor to his colleagues, a gentleman journalist who loved and lived his job with grace, a role model for Catholics who want to make a difference and contribute to the common good. Information is power and Tim empowered us, the regular people out there, by pursuing truth. Above all, he was who he said he was. May it be the same for all of us.

Comments

16 responses to “Farewell Tim Russert”

  1. Bibbit Avatar
    Bibbit

    I’m sorry, but I don’t see it this way. Tim Russert may very well have been a very nice man, but I have 2 problems with the coverage of his passing. First, and much less important, is the way his show obviously catered to the left. All one had to do was tune in yesterday for the show’s remembrance of him to see that on display. Of the 6 guests 5 were very liberal. The one conservative was married to one of the liberals, and probably would otherwise not have been on. This was often the case with the show when Mr. Russert himself hosted. When they did have a truly literate conservative on the show, William Kristol, they gave him the boot (and thus he went to Fox, strengthening their show). I often saw Catholics on his show he openly disobeyed Church teaching, but rarely saw those who were strong defenders of the pope and magisterium. And that leads to my main concern. Mr. Russert worked for not one, but two leaders in the Culture of Death. He never, to my knowledge, spoke against his employer’s support of that culture. Isn’t it interesting that when Mr. Russert was given a papal medal recently many pro-lifers got upset for this very reason. But now he’s passed and suddenly we are supposed to forget his silence on the issue? I can’t do that; I can’t call a man good who for all I know supported the killing of innocent humans.

    I hope I’m wrong, I hope he did speak up for those defenseless and innocent people, but if he did I do not know of it. Please, if he did do that, post a link so I can change my opinion of the man. Though I guess, in the end, I still think he was a man who more often than not pulled the lever for those who lead the Culture of Death versus those who would end it.

  2. Pmccrsp Avatar
    Pmccrsp

    This is the puzzling part about many Catholics who for various reasons feel they want to be apart of the Democratic Party which for years has been unable to shake itself from a Pro-Choice platform. I agree there were times when Mr Russert did seem to hit conservatives harder but generally I think he was pretty fair.
    The number of Catholics working in and for the Democratic Party seem to not be able to influence them on various pro-Life matters that are of utmost important in the hierarchy of teachings. That said one could also argue that Catholics who are faithful to the Republican Party also have some areas they need to address on social justice matters. The appeal to subsidiarity works well on the national level but that does mean that real work has to be done on the state level to ensure that education, health care and safety are available to all, not just those that live in well tod do communities.

  3. Bibbit Avatar
    Bibbit

    You are missing the point. The man appeared to me to be a supporter of the Culture of Death. I’m hoping somebody can show me where I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am wrong. This isn’t a Democrat/Republican thing, it’s a life thing. Please don’t talk about social justice. The Church’s teachings on social justice are very important and to be taken very seriously, but the Church herself says abortion is more important. To my eyes and ears Mr. Russert supported those who support abortion, and quite probably supported it himself. Again, until somebody shows me otherwise, I will not sing his praises.

  4. prairiehawk Avatar
    prairiehawk

    We shouldn’t be hasty to render judgment on Mr. Russert. Doing good can take many forms and it is not always necessary to speak out directly, in this case against the Culture of Death. I understand, for example, that Mr. Russert faithfully attended Mass every Sunday morning before going to the studio to do his show. This means that he brought our Eucharistic Lord into this very public, very secular forum week after week for years in a way that had the chance to form the hearts and minds of millions. Who knows how much good that did?

    Furthermore, who among us can really say that we have done enough to fight the Culture of Death? As for myself, I have prayed in front of the abortion clinic a few times, written a few letters, and voted. I sincerely hope that my Lord will tell me when I come before him that I did all I reasonably could. We all have to make decisions about action or inaction that have eternal consequences. Whatever Mr. Russert decided, I’m willing to bet he had good reasons. May eternal light shine upon him.

  5. BPB Avatar
    BPB

    I’ve never posted here before, so please forgive me if I don’t follow certain rules of etiquette that may be different than what I’m used to following elsewhere. I tend to hang out at various political sites.

    I think what Bibbit is saying is that Russert was a very public man, who worked for very public leaders in the culture of death. Russert never spoke out about his former boss’ doings in that culture. AND, whenever that was pointed out to him on his show he would get very angry and act as if to say, “How dare you mention this on my show.” I saw him do this more than once. The bottom line is public folks have different obligations in these matters than regular folks like us (I assume that includes Bibbit). As a public person you can’t let the world have the impression you support something like abortion and not do anything to correct that impression. I think that if Russert had pro-life views he would have said so, but if he didn’t but didn’t say so, shame on him. He had a big microphone, a very big one. Please don’t say he couldn’t do that and keep his job. What’s more important, a job, or doing the right thing? At the very least he could have donated money to pro-life causes without comment. This would have done his talking for him.

    By the way, Mr. Russert was given an honorary degree at my alma mater, a “Catholic” school, no less. I put the word Catholic in quotes because it is not exactly a school that the Newman Society would hold up as exemplary. The thing is, Mr. Russert, while speaking at a Catholic school showed no need to speak up for defenseless babies and Catholic teaching. He never spoke about his prior bosses and how one of them used a speech at Notre Dame to give Catholic politicians a poor excuse to be pro-abortion. It was Mr. Russert’s boss who came up with the “personally against, but” defense.

    I know, he met the pope and got a medal, but hey, my congessman, Patrick Kennedy, has also met the pope. Would anybody here hold him up as a model of Catholic pro-life living? Probably not.

    I too hope that Bibbit is wrong and that Mr. Russert was not a supporter of the culture of death. But the evidence does appear to be otherwise. I wouldn’t be posting this at a non-Catholic, but this is, after all, a Catholic site. I’m no saint, and I don’t want to be judgemental, but I did have my doubts about Tim Russert. Still, I pray for him and his family, and maybe one day I’ll get to meet him in Heaven (assuming I can get there). Indeed, may he rest in peace, one day to be with our Risen Lord.

  6. Andrew James Avatar
    Andrew James

    Sorry Sister, but Mr. Russert, by association with the death dealers in the American Democratic party, was a liberal Catholic, and therefore a bad Catholic. Instead of being a hero of the faithful and defender of the church, he chose career accolades and political positions over moral ones. He represents everything that is wrong in the church today. Jesuit training? That puts him right in company with all the other enemies of the church who call themselves “Catholic”, such as the late abortionist Fr. Drinan. He may have been a good journalist, but that is not the criteria for creating a Culture of Life, nor is it the path to heaven. So he met with a Cardinal before his death? Big deal. It is not who we know that gets us to heaven, but WHO we know.

  7. prairiehawk Avatar
    prairiehawk

    Without reference to a single thing that Mr. Russert did or did not do, Mr. James has condemned him. I am saying that Tim Russert touched the hearts of millions and, if he did not do more, it is not our place to say that he should have. Let us always put charity first, and Sister’s article was charitable. We should all follow her example.

  8. rakeys Avatar
    rakeys

    I, too, believe we should be charitable. But charitable to whom? Pro-choice politicains say they are charitable to women in need, are they charitable to the unborn child who is killed?. Several bishops were charitable to “pedophile priests”, forgave them, and gave them a second chance. Was this charitable to the victim of sexual abuse?
    A charitable attitude, and an unwillingness to say anything which may upset someone else, has allowed contraception, no-fault divorce, abortion, embryonic stem cell research, gay marriage, pornography to become the norm in our society. We continue to turn the other cheek. It has been said that the only way for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.
    I enjoyed some of Tim Russert’s shows, but was often left with a sinking feeling when he would not support a pro-life cause and even leaned the other direction. What an opportunity he had to speak to all Americans about life. This is a wake up call for me to do more with the little resources I have, which is why I am writng now.

  9. Pmccrsp Avatar
    Pmccrsp

    To Bibbit:
    I am not sure I missed your point I was really adding to it my own – your point is well taken that Mr Russert seemed to work for a number of pro-Choice politicians without adequately rebutting their pro-Choice positions. But that is the problem we have a lot of Catholics who want to be Democrats but can;t seem to remove the Pro-Choice planks form their party either because they don;t care (your supposition about Russert) or can’t.
    Please don’t say don’t talk about social justice. Abortion and other pro-Life issues ARE THE Social Justice Issues that need to be tackled. By saying you don;t want to talk about them you play into the hands of those whom we call the proponents of the Culture of Death by handing them the argument that we only care about abortion, gay marriage and euthanasia. The are all linked though as you indicate they must be prioritized properly. By separating them so strongly you alienate those Catholics who feel taht pro-Life people talk a good game but in the end are using the abortion issue as an excuse to vote for those who otherwise do not support Catholic Teaching. Whether I agree with you or not is immaterial, fraternal correction has to be given in a way that will produce results, otherwise you are just shouting truth without proclaiming the Gospel.

  10. Bibbit Avatar
    Bibbit

    I didn’t mean don’t talk about social justice issues period, I meant talking about it by putting other issues (such as hunger) on an even plank with abortion. Far too many folks try to equate the two, and as you made clear, they are not to be equated. We could chat all day about folks who are against abortion but maybe not so strong about other social justice issues, but that’s another discussion, and still, in the end, abortion is the proper priority.

    After spending some time at various sites today I see that I am not alone in my thoughts on Mr. Russert. It just took a few days for others to speak out.

    Oh, one final thing regarding the post by Sr. Pacatte: I don’t understand why Catholic folks like Sr. Pacatte take time to praise somebody like Mr. Russert, who obviously had baggage, at least from a Catholic perspective, when there are so many others out there worthy of praise that get none. People who don’t have baggage or any other issues. It’s like looking at boring or even ugly art when there is so much beauty that can be seen. Like watching network TV when there is so much else that can entertain and lift the soul at the same time. It really makes no sense to me that folks do these things. And here I mean Christian folks, Catholics in particular. God has given us so much good stuff in this world, and so many wonderful people. Why take the time praising the not so good when there is so much that is truly good that can be praised? I can understand watching and checking out the not so good, but why spend time praising it?

  11. janemartin Avatar
    janemartin

    Putting other social justice issues ahead of abortion is like rearranging the deck furniture on the Titanic. (Perhaps a better analogy is feeding the hungry on the Titanic or helping the sick or giving shelter to those without a cabin. While other social justice causes have value, the truth is that this ship will go down if we allow abortion to continue.) But what can we do about it? Like I tell my children, the most powerful weapon against evil is right at our fingertips and the Blessed Mother is waiting for us prayer warriors to pick up our rosaries and pray.

    Perhaps the most charitable thing we can do for Mr. Russert is to pray for his soul. Good Catholic or not, he needs our prayers now. Precisely because I think he was pro-abortion, I will offer a decade of my next rosary for his soul. Perhaps everybody that is discussing his life could offer a prayer for his afterlife. May God have mercy on him and all of us. Jesus protect and save the unborn.

  12. mac286 Avatar
    mac286

    Tim Russert was a good reporter, in that he was very professional, but he like most in the MSM had a liberal bias. Bottom line. Either way, I pray that he walks with Christ and that his family finds peace. What irritates me is that the MSM does not provide unlimited coverage to talk about the lives and heroism of our fallen soldiers and their families. Their lives should be remembered most and celebrated most. What they have done truly is the greatest act of love. Maybe SR. PACATTE will write about true heroes for her next article.

  13. Pmccrsp Avatar
    Pmccrsp

    I hope to understand why public Catholics are not speaking out on pro-Life matters. Sometimes we have to encourage the faithful who already know that abortion, euthanasia, marriage stem cell research are priorities. Other times we have to reach out to our fellow Catholics who fall into a few different categories: 1) indifferent, 2) actually pro-Choice, 3) actually pro-Abortion or 4) simply motivated more strongly by other issues.
    Peace
    … The end of all knowledge should be virtuous action. P Sydney****

  14. Sully77 Avatar
    Sully77

    Tim Russert’s life and death was acknowledged today and all under the auspices of being a devout Roman Catholic. He worked for two of the biggest proponents for killing unborn children and his hands unfortunately do have blood on them, along with the rosary so many people are fond of saying he carried. I will pray for him and his checkered understanding of our wonderful faith which at times can be a struggle to maintain – no one is sinless but some sins are not passed over with a visit to the Pope or a few well known people on this planet called Earth saying you are “a saint.” I wish it were that simple. If you are purporting to be a Catholic and conducting your life in the public eye under the guise of being a devout Roman Catholic then please try and get it right about the most important thing in the world – getting born! Nothing else matters. Nothing. Each person speaking today at his memorial service got that right given to them along with Tim Russert, so please afford that luxury to everyone else. Somewhere in New York, a little humble priest with skin cancer has prayed outside an abortion clinic for the past 15 years, whose death will not be televised or lauded and given accolades by public personalities. But under Senator Daniel Moynihan and Gov Mario Como, was imprisoned and threatened with fines for praying peacefully outside abortion clinics, he too carries a rosary in his hand.
    Thank God that God sees all.

  15. Pmccrsp Avatar
    Pmccrsp

    I doubt too many are still reading these comments but just in case.
    Regarding how Russert managed his job and his faith there may be questions for some that is why we civilly debate things, Peggy Noonan had this to say in a WSJ editoiral:

    Something not fully appreciated is the sense of particular sadness among conservatives, who felt Russert gave their views and philosophy equal time, an equality of approach. When Kate O’Beirne had a book out on the excesses of feminism a few years ago the only network show on which she was asked to give the antiabortion argument was “Meet the Press.” When I was on the book tour in 2000 for “The Case Against Hillary Clinton,” Tim’s was the only show that asked me to state my case at length, balancing it with an appearance of the same length by a Hillary supporter. I’m not sure network producers understand how grateful—embarrassing word, but true—conservatives are to be given time to say not only what they think but why they think it. Russert was big on why. He knew it was the heart of any political debate.

  16. Andrea Avatar
    Andrea

    Bibbit, I couldn’t agree with you more! I enjoyed hearing Tim Russert speak on politics and all that jazz… but for people to hail him as this wonderful and faithful “Catholic” individual, I have a hard time with that. He was a liberal… voted for Democratic liberals… sided with abortion on demand liberals… I mean, what’s up with all the talk about him being such an outstanding Catholic? A rosary in the pocket, weekly Mass attendance, and a few papal audiences does not make a “good Catholic”.

    I see nothing wrong with people writing and speaking glowing tributes about the man. He deserved them, in my view. But one of those glowing tributes should not be about his faithfulness to his Catholic faith. Every time he voted he betrayed his Catholic faith, so I don’t think his denominational beliefs should be brought up at all. It’s an insult to all those folks who are indeed “good Catholics” by holding all the teachings of Holy Mother Church close to their heart and not just a select few.

    I have this nagging feeling that when Tim met the Lord face to face, on that fateful Friday afternoon in June, he had a little bit of ‘splainin’ to do.

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