I sat down with my mom last December, I looked at her seriously, and told her of my one ultimate goal for covering Iowa caucuses. "I just want to get a picture with Tim Russert."
I'm not going to say I idolize people just because they are on TV. I am not going to spout off hero worship. I wanted that picture because the NBC Washington Bureau Chief was the real deal. Tim Russert had a unique style, he was a great writer, and he was one of the few TV people who did journalism. He was tough with everyone. He was a great host of Meet the Press. He did his research. He checked his facts. He was prepared.
If more television journalists did the simple fundamental things Tim Russert did, I would watch more TV news.