A Tribute to Tim Russert

Tim Russert referred to his role-- bringing the truth to the American people-- as a vocation rather than just a job. He worked every day to get to the bottom of big issues, to hold elected officials accountable, to help everyone get the facts they need to make informed decisions.

In an interview with Larry King (May 23, 2006), Russert described the inspiration for his work. He said that he keeps in mind the men and women who work hard everyday for their families, trying to give them the best life they can. He said that he wants to honor their work by allowing them to feel comfortable knowing that someone is working as hard as he can to get them the truth and to put complex issues into digestible bites.

That last point is the most important, in our view. Russert presented the facts, with a point of view, never in an attempt to lead to some predetermined outcome, as more condensed features can sometimes do. Instead, he wanted to get the essence of the story in an accurate and compelling way. He was firm, and hardly ever mean, in holding people accountable for their words and deeds. He was political without being overtly partisan and exceptional at his work without the corresponding ego to cloud it. And he was the kind of guy you felt you could trust just from watching him on television.

As fellow Western New Yorkers, we take pride in his having been a favorite son of Buffalo, New York. His local, blue-collar values of work and family and common sense served him, and us, well as he performed on the stage of global journalism.

Thank you, Tim Russert.