Goldberg Recalls Russert's Call for Newsroom Ideological Diversity

newsbusters.org ^ | June 13, 2008 | Brent Baker

[Free ThinkerNY]

Appearing by phone on Friday's The O'Reilly Factor on FNC, former CBS News correspondent Bernard Goldberg recalled for fill-in host Laura Ingraham how Tim Russert recognized there should be more to newsroom diversity than just diversity by gender and skin tone, that “you need ideological diversity.” Goldberg, who was forced out of CBS News after he pointed out their liberal bias, lamented:

I wish his colleagues understood that part of Tim Russert, too. That he knew that we needed all kinds of people in journalism because if we didn't have it we were going to get one-sided journalism.

Goldberg read aloud to the FNC audience a quote from Russert contained in an interview featured in Goldberg's 2003 book, Arrogance: Rescuing America from the Media Elite:

“I'm all for hiring women in the newsroom and minorities in the newsroom -- I'm all for it. It opens up our eyes and gives us a different perspective. But just as well, let's have people with military experience. Let's have people from all walks of life. People from the top echelon schools, but people from junior colleges and the so-called middling schools -- that's the rich pageantry of America. I'm a great believer in racial diversity and gender diversity, but you need cultural diversity, you need ideological diversity.” And then he emphasized, Laura: “You need it.”

[originalbuckeye]

He will be missed. Prayers for his family.

[Libloather]

The body wasn’t even cold before RATS underground started to suggest replacements. Nasty bastards they are.

[nonliberal]

Russert was a rarity among the enemedia. I think he was a genuinely good man.

[TChad]

He seemed to be an actual journalist, not a propagandist.

R.I.P.

[R W Reactionairy]

Agreed. One of a bare hand full of liberals who could step back and view things objectively when he put his mind to it.

I use a Moynihan quote as my tag line. Moynihan was a liberal who was not immune to a good idea. I wonder how much of an influence Russert had on Moynihan and visa versa?

BTW, I hope for the sake of the fond memories I have of Russert that the only reason his name is associated with Mario Cuomo is party affiliation and a New York connection ... and Mario is almost a saint when compared to his son. Marone.

[littlehouse36]

Russert was one of the rarities in journalism. He was fair. RIP.

[montag813]

How do I explain to a 7 year old why a great and decent man like Russert must die, while a vile and traitorous worm like Olbermann is left alive, and possibly to take Russert’s place?

[dennisw]

Tim Russert was a lib but the best of the breed and as fair as as a liberal can get. He was minimally interested in suppressing opposing points of view

[Happy Rain]

Tim Russert:

The Last Liberal Journalist.

(They are all activists and operatives now)

RIP

[samtheman]

He seemed to be an actual journalist, not a propagandist.

I think that's true. Even though he acknowledged his own liberal/democrat bias he did at least recognize it and try to be fair.

On one of the stories I saw about him last night he was quoted as saying, "Where I grew up you were born Democrat and baptized Catholic."

[supremedoctrine]

All you really have to do is repeat JFK’s line , which I believe related to why he survived WW2, and others perished-—”Life is unfair”-—kind of sums it up, yet it would be a hard message to have to convey to a kid, who still wants to believe that life is fair.

[supremedoctrine]

Just an idle thought-—the only MSM figure I can see “sort of” replacing Russert would be Chris Wallace, who has grown in my estimation steadily in the last decade.