Russert's Funeral, the Media's Orgy

Cal Thomas | Syndicated Columnist | Updated: Jun 20, 2008

Russert's Funeral, the Media's Orgy


June 20, 2008

The orgy is over. The orgy that was coverage of Tim Russert’s funeral.

I counted and the five days of coverage was one day more than the coverage of John Kennedy’s assassination. Russert and his wonderful life aside, we’re talking coverage here. And that was a river of self-indulgence and self-praise of the media, by the media and for the media unmatched by anything I have ever seen in this narcissistic town. A head of state didn’t die. A person who found a cure for cancer had not passed away. Russert interviewed politicians on television. That’s all.

And what about the incredibly bad theology? There were people at the invitation-only memorial event at the Kennedy Center saying Tim Russert must be conversing around a table with Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. The world thinks everyone goes to heaven, except perhaps conservatives and republicans.

In this nonstop coverage, the media again reveal what they think of themselves: indispensable, more powerful than elected officials and more certain than ever of their importance.


 

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.

Russert's Funeral, the Media's Orgy