Progressive World Review

Much has been written about Russert since his untimely death yesterday and predictably most have praised him as a tough journalist unafraid to ask the hard questions.  Predictably I say, in part because of the natural tendency to speak well of the dead but mostly, I suspect, because his flaws were shared by most in our main stream media.

I’ve written of an interview I heard with Russert, where he was asked by a caller to the radio talk show he was appearing on about the job he and the press in general, had done during the lead up to the Iraq war, specifically in comparison to the Watergate investigation done by Woodward and Bernstein.  And as I noted, his answer was very telling.  His position was that both Republicans and Democrats were given their opportunity to make their perspective cases, the Republicans essentially lied or were just plain wrong and the Democrat’s case was simply non existent.  And that was that, “both” sides were given their chance and there was nothing further that the press could do. 

Of course this was utterly false on at least two counts.  First, just because the Democrats had little to say didn’t mean nobody else did.  The press assumes that the Democrats and Republicans represent the entire spectrum of political thought and there’s no need to look any further.  But there was in fact, plenty of reasoned opposition to the war they could have tapped into but never got around to.  Second, and even more egregious, was the press’ refusal to look deeper regardless of the source.  If Woodward and Bernstein had satisfied themselves with simply getting the spin from both Republicans and Democrats regarding the Watergate break in we never would have found out what Nixon was up to.

But more than anything else, what defined Russert’s brand of journalism was his obsession with being an insider.  While Russert was known for asking some embarrassing questions there was never any follow up and he was always very careful of crossing the line lest he lose access to Washington’s political elite.  This is his policy regarding quoting government officials, (h/t Glenn Greenwald)

When I talk to senior government officials on the phone, it’s my own policy — our conversations are confidential. If I want to use anything from that conversation, then I will ask permission. (emphasis original)

This is an extraordinary position for a “journalist” to take, since when is it the journalist’s responsibility to protect their interviewees from embarrassing themselves or revealing incriminating information?  What kind of investigative journalism does he hope to accomplish if he’ll only use information he has “permission” to use?

This, more than anything, defines the illness that plagues modern journalism.  The parasitic desire to be insiders, part of the Washington elite club, prevents them from doing anything that would ultimately lose them the access they so cravenly desire.  They do this unashamedly, claiming that access to the political class is required for them to do their jobs all the while not realizing that it the very courting of this insider status that is in fact preventing them from doing their jobs.  Tim Russert was the de facto leader of this motley crew hence the platitudes we’ll be reading for days to come.

–Paul Wilden

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