WASHINGTON - Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and the moderator of “Meet the Press,” died Friday after a sudden heart attack at the bureau, NBC News said Friday. He was 58.

Russert was recording voiceovers for Sunday’s “Meet the Press” program when he collapsed, the network said. No details were immediately available.

Russert, the recipient of 48 honorary doctorates, took over the helm of “Meet the Press” in December 1991. Now in its 60th year, “Meet the Press” is the longest-running program in the history of television.

In 2008, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Timothy John Russert Jr. was born in Buffalo, N.Y., on May 7, 1950. He was a graduate of Canisius High School, John Carroll University and the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. He was a member of the bar in New York and the District of Columbia.

Senate staffer before entering journalism
After graduating from law school, Russert went into politics as a staff operative. In 1976, he worked on the Senate campaign of Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., and in 1982, he worked on Mario Cuomo’s campaign for governor of New York.

Russert joined NBC News in 1984. In April 1985, he supervised the live broadcasts of NBC's TODAY show from Rome, negotiating and arranging an appearance by Pope John Paul II, a first for American television. In 1986 and 1987, Russert led NBC News’ weeklong broadcasts from South America, Australia and China.

Of his background as a Democratic political operative, Russert said, “My views are not important.”

“Lawrence Spivak, who founded ‘Meet the Press,’ told me before he died that the job of the host is to learn as much as you can about your guest’s positions and take the other side,” he said in a 2007 interview with Time magazine. “And to do that in a persistent and civil way. And that’s what I try to do every Sunday.”

Cuomo, Russert’s onetime boss, wrote of Russert: “Most candidates are not eager to present themselves for Tim’s incisive scrutiny, which is fed by his prodigious study and preparation. But they have little choice: appearing on ‘Meet the Press’ is today as vital to a serious candidate as being properly registered to vote.”

Russert wrote two books — “Big Russ and Me” in 2004 and “Wisdom of Our Fathers” in 2006 — both of which were New York Times best-sellers.

Emmy for Reagan funeral coverage
In 2005, Russert was awarded an Emmy for his role in the coverage of the funeral of President Ronald Reagan. His “Meet the Press” interviews with George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000 won the Radio and Television Correspondents’ highest honor, the Joan S. Barone Award, and the Annenberg Center’s Walter Cronkite Award.

Russert’s March 2000 interview of Sen. John McCain shared the 2001 Edward R. Murrow Award for Overall Excellence in Television Journalism. He was also the recipient of the John Peter Zenger Award, the American Legion Journalism Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism, the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Communication and the Catholic Academy for Communication’s Gabriel Award. He was a member of the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame.

Russert was a trustee of the Freedom Forum’s Newseum and a member of the board of directors of the Greater Washington Boys and Girls Club, and America’s Promise — Alliance for Youth.

In 1995, the National Father’s Day Committee named him “Father of the Year,” Parents magazine honored him as “Dream Dad” in 1998, and in 2001 the National Fatherhood Initiative also recognized him as Father of the Year.

Irish America magazine named him one of the top 100 Irish Americans in the country, and he was selected as a Fellow of the Commission of European Communities.

Russert is survived by his wife, Maureen Orth, a writer for Vanity Fair magazine, and a son, Luke.

Check back soon for more on this breaking story.
© 2008 MSNBC Interactive

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RIP Tim

My favorite political TV host of all time. I loved it when he would put people on the spot. He was calm, well informed and reasonable. There is nobody else in the business like him. He actually asked intelligent follow up questions when everybody else just moves on to another topic.

We have way to much Sean Hannity and nowhere near enough Tim Russert.

I'll miss him.

I'll miss his dry erase board.

This fucking sucks. One of the few you could count on to needle both sides. I'll drain a bloody in his honor during his time-slot this weekend.

Sucks. After having the pleasure of finally seeing what you Americans call Fox 'News', it's apparent we need this guy more than ever. I always thought he was a great host and pretty fair. I wonder who's gonna replace him...

for the rule of three (death pool)...I say....Christopher Matthews and Tom Brokaw and/or Bob Schieffer or Dan Rather.

Many of you would like to know why I excluded O'Reilly...well he has signed a deal with the devil as too as Rush Limbaugh and WILL NEVER DIE!

I agree that this totally fucking sucks. Recquiescat im pacem Tim Russert, and God bless his family in this time of grief.

My fave Sunday morning hurting/shake it off host.
Cool guy and never affiliated with a party.

He's one of few people from Buffalo,NY to be famous for a good reason. He was like royalty here.

Fair enough... Agreed that he called a good game for A Catholic with a law degree.

you're such a one dimensional whiny bitch. take fox news and republican from your vocabulary and you'd never be able to post again. the only reason you and that canadian shut in that spent his entire LA holiday posting to xpt from his hotel room hate fox news is because it doesn't suck obama's cock like NBC, chris matthews and the rest of those hacks.

you can't be serious king....

i mean about Fox News... not Gunker.

I don't care if gunker or you don't like fox news, it doesn't matter to me, but to pretend that it's worse than any other tv news org. is a joke. as I said before, the only reason fox puckers your asses is because it's the one org that doesn't fit into your box and fall in line with the rest of the garbage out there. so, do you feel that NBC has given impartial coverage of the obama/clinton race?

and again, you two seem to know so much about fox news yet you don't watch it. where do you guys get your information?

Gee, sorry for having an unflattering opinion about Fox, King. What the fuck was I thinking? I take it all back. It's brilliant, thought-provoking journalism that isn't afraid to ask the tough questions.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9uSK_KXeD_0

. so, do you feel that NBC has given impartial coverage of the obama/clinton race?

To say that every news source is slanted would be accurate. But to try and compare any other mainstream network to Fox News is just crazy. I thought what really influenced the coverage of the above race was Bill Clinton opening his big fucking mouth every time there was a microphone in front of it. That's my opinion, nothing more. And yeah, I get it already; you don't want the coloured fella to be in the Oval Office...

Whether or not a news organization is unbiased depends on your own personal point of view. If you agree with what is being reported it is unbiased. If you disagree with what is being reported it is slanted.

We don't get it unless we subscribe to a special cable package. But through shit like youtube, I'd seen tons of clips from it. That's why I was more than happy to sit down and actually watch it to get a full perspective on it. It is truly bizarre, and you throwing tantrums and calling me ice nigger isn't going to change that. Regardless of one's political views, Fox News is fucking crazy. Can you not see that, you cranky fuck? Yeah, our tax dollars fund the CBC, but there are zillions of other news sources and even if Satan himself funded it, It wouldn't change my opinion about The O'Reilly Factor. And what's with the new avatar?

they are angry now cuz they realize they are done with...

Obama is not about raising taxes just ending the Bush Tax Cuts for the wealthy that were SUPPOSED to end anyway and have done NOTHING to help the economy as they were supposed to. Obama wants to cut taxes altogether on the elderly making under a certain amount. His economic plan is better for the Middle Class and he hasn't hitched his policy on such a loser as Phil Gramm




Phil Gramm is married to a cross dressing alien

Quote:

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It wouldn't change my opinion about The O'Reilly Factor.

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Olberman beat him in the ratings last week...Murdoch is all butthurt cuz Countdown has been picking on futon boy. They can dish it out...



WE'LL DO IT LIVE!!!

Der Koenig, relax...

Russert was a good interviewer, yes he was bent to the left, but so what? George Will is/was bent just as much to the right...conclusion: they are/were both good journalists. They can't all be Ernie Pyle. You should be happy we're long gone from the days of W.R. Hearst monopolizing the press and inciting the U.S. into the Spanish-American War.

We had a federal government that accomplished that on its own.

And to clear the air, I am a moderate Rep. I went to school with plenty of the chillun's of prominent people in Arizona. Lots of stories...lots.

Conflushion: politics is not as fucked up as the L.A. Lakers.

I'm relaxed. I just don't give a fuck about tim russert. and fwiw tattypatty and gunker got this thread pearshaped by going off topic about fox news long before I joined in.

you're the only one that posts political bullshit anymore. don't get your panties in a bunch because someone is actually calling you out and refuting the lies you post.you're too used to the kos echo chamber.

Yeah I saw a bit of CNBC and even caught the Awesomeness that is TELEMUNDO! Still, Fox News is unlike anything I have ever witnessed before. Now calm the fuck down. So why the new avatar? Allie hasn't been arrested lately?

I'd drink with Olberman, I'd listen to Russert.

Fwiw, nice hairpulling bitch scramble girls.