The Tim Russert media wake ended yesterday with the Kennedy Center tribute, but at least one more columnist — Variety‘s Brian Lowry — has written about the overkill factor, and in so doing has joined the merry band.
“At a certain point [during the Russert tributes], even a modicum of recognition about relativity and propriety should have kicked in, as ‘Remembering Tim Russert’ essentially blotted out coverage of anything else in the world — from flooding in the Midwest to the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“By doing so, MSNBC√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√¢‚Äû¬¢s maudlin repetition of platitudes finally performed a genuine disservice to the late Meet the Press host√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√¢‚Äû¬¢s memory by beginning to take on an unsavory aura of self-promotion. Inevitably in the painful process of padding out the hours, there were so many references to the ‘NBC family,’ the network√ɬ¢√¢‚Äö¬¨√¢‚Äû¬¢s enduring commitment to his example, and parading by correspondents and contributors sharing personal memories to qualify as back-patting.”