The loss of Tim Russert is a heartbreaking story not just for those who were family members or close friends of Mr. Russert, not just viewers of Meet the Press, but for all Americans and for all those who share a passion for politics and reporting. Tim was one of few political news reporters I could watch on television and not get an urge to scold them or argue with them. Russert's reporting was always aimed at trying to uncover the truth and to get politicians to be honest about what their plans and intentions were for the country.
Russert was admirable because he was an all-around genuine person who valued integrity and commitment to truth in his reporting. One of my favorite YouTube clips is one where he reads John McCain a quote and asks him to respond to it, McCain not realizing that the quote was one that he himself had spoken years before. He wasn't an Obama-loving Chris Matthews or a right-slanted Bill O'Reilly. He was someone whom all Americans could trust as a news source, and reminded us of the importance of politics in our daily lives and why, as Americans, we should care about the political process.
Tim Russert's reporting and his involvement in covering this presidential campaign is something that is unprecedented and will never anyone else currently in the field. He would have loved to see the results of this upcoming election, and his absence will be felt in the upcoming debates and political coverage of the election leading up to November. Even though he has now passed on, the positive mark he has left on American politics and news coverage of politics have changed American political journalism forever
