I love the Sunday morning political TV shows, and used to very much enjoy watching Tim Russert as host of Meet the Press on NBC. It really was very sad for me, to learn about the news of his early death by heart attack a year or two ago.
Tim was famous for putting politicians (those from the left, the right, it really did not matter, he was an equal opportunity interrogator) on the hot seat.
There was always a real sense of drama as he confronted politicians and their advisers with what they had said in the past, miraculously excavated and presented on screen in stark letters and words or recited by Tim. He had a knack for finding the quotes that caused the most discomfort, e.g. the ones that highlighted flip flopping or inconsistencies with the party line.
In doing this he was uniquely able to get the unscripted reaction, and I am sure caused quite a few PR teams to squirm in anticipation or in the wake of the interviews.
My blog post Media Wonderland discussed the unintended consequences of the real time, social Web.
Now that more and more people are willing to share and blab all, on Twitter, Facebook, etc. – and with the variety of ways to search these streams – are we making it easier for future Tim Russerts, people across all walks of life who might evaluate us, judge us, interview us, etc.?
Are we all headed for that Tim Russert moment?
I miss Tim Russert. I religiously used to DVR Meet the Press. He was brilliant at his craft. It will take millions of Twitter users and a whole lot of luck to find another like Tim.
Glad my older brother found my blog! Nice to see you here Mark, thanks for reading and commenting.
Agreed, Tim Russert really was the best and I miss him too.