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Tim Russert tapes NBC's 'Meet the Press' in Washington. He's hosted the highly rated Sunday morning talk show since 1991. At 59 years, it's the longest-running program on TV.
President George W. Bush speaks during a 2004 interview with Russert for 'Meet the Press.' |
By MICHAEL ZITZ
Tim Russert believes in us.
Like a doting father, he sees the good in an American public others might regard as neglecting its homework to watch trash TV and refusing to eat its vegetables while reaching for another piece of pie.
During a telephone interview with The Free Lance-Star, the moderator of "Meet the Press" insisted that Americans continue to be interested in serious stuff, important stuff, heavy stuff--the stuff that will impact our futures and the course of history itself.
He's convinced that we truly care about plot twists and turns in the Middle East, that we have the focus necessary to follow the long midterm election campaign, and that we really do want to know who's likely to be running for president two years from now.
Russert, who will appear at the Fredericksburg Forum on Wednesday night at the University of Mary Washington, believes this in his heart and soul, even though the proliferation of "infotainment" items on news shows might seem to indicate otherwise.
Sensational crimes involving JonBenet Ramsey and Debra LaFave and Natalee Holloway--and even Britney Spears' latest baby bumble--often push dry topics like war and famine off most TV screens.
And some contend that CBS has kicked its tradition of hard journalism to the curb, putting former "Today" show host Katie Couric in charge of its iconic evening news show and shifting gears to a softer, magazine-style approach.
But Russert can make a convincing argument that there still is a public appetite for serious discussion of the issues by pointing to the undeniable success of his own show, "Meet the Press." It's been on NBC for 59 years and shows no sign of running out of steam. And since Russert took the helm in 1991, it's become the most-watched Sunday-morning interview program, with approximately 4 million viewers.
"Meet the Press" hasn't been tainted by the circus-like atmosphere of some other news programs and the stridency of Internet blogs, nor has it tilted to the left or right following a trend that's seeing people choose news sources based on bias.
Russert wouldn't be comfortable with any of that.
"We have guests on, and we always allow them to finish their sentences, to finish their thoughts," he said. "We ask aggressive, persistent questions in a civil way."
He said he feels no pressure from NBC in regard to ratings.
"We don't do JonBenet Ramsey or O.J. Simpson," he said. "We focus on the big issues--like Iraq--and we try to find the best guests to talk about them."
Russert, also an MSNBC anchor and host of CNBC's "Tim Russert" show, sees positive things emerging from the proliferation of cable news channels and Internet sources.
"What I have found is, with the explosion of cable news and the Internet, people are better and better informed," he said.
That explosion is only helping "Meet the Press" and other serious news shows, he said, maintaining that it complements them, rather than competing with them.
But Russert said he's worried about news consumers "gravitating to" particular cable programs and Internet sites "that preach" a particular ideological spin on the news.
It's better, he said, for the public to be exposed to differing viewpoints.
Russert plays "the devil's advocate" and tries to draw guests out and challenge them, no matter what their political persuasions, he said.
"I think that's healthy, to always keep testing your views and trying to learn about other views," he said.
"It's a big country," and those who care to look can
He has three sisters who prefer news feature magazine shows like NBC's "Dateline," but, "I'm a hard-news guy," Russert said. "That's what I gravitate to. I think we have to provide hard news, not just opinion and commentary."
Whether he has Dick Cheney or Hillary Clinton as a guest, he said, he works to challenge their assumptions and get them to address the real issues.
"So many of the commentators on radio or cable or on the blogs are activists--pamphleteers who have a very strong view," he said.
Because he's in a high-profile position and interviews the most powerful figures in politics, Russert is often scalded by bloggers for not doing things the way they'd like to see them done.
He likes that, he said, especially when bloggers on both the left and the right attack him for his handling of the same interview, one saying, "You were too soft," and the other, "You were too hard."
That, he said, is when he knows he's done his job.
To reach MICHAEL ZITZ:
Email: mikez@freelancestar.com
WHAT: Tim Russert, host of 'Meet the Press,' will appear at the Fredericksburg Forum WHERE: University of Mary Washington, George Washington Hall, WHEN: Wednesday, 8 p.m. COST: General admission tickets cost $25. Tickets for the 2006-07 season, which includes the program on INFO: 540/654-1276 |
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