COLUMN: 06-18-2008

Tim Russert was truly an American hero and it's unfortunate that it took his death to highlight this fact. He was an institution in Washington who was a model of the needed role of journalists in a free society. He held politicians to task for their word and deeds and did not let them get away with dishonest excuses for misbehavior. Though he began his career in the political world working for major Democratic politicians, he was truly unbiased when he moved to the world of television journalism. This is in stark contrast to his competitors: ABC's Sunday morning host was a former Clinton administration insider and that is still very clear in terms of the bias he demonstrates in his interviews. Fox News does not even qualify as a journalistic organization due to the blatant bias it demonstrates in every single aspect of its shows. It's hard to think of anyone who can fill Russert's shoes and that itself is a tribute to his legacy. Hopefully, someone of equal integrity will be given an opportunity to step in and play that role that our democracy so desperately needs.