Saturday, August 02, 2008
Leave Luke Russert Alone
What's in a last name?Well, if you're 22-year-old Luke Russert, your last name means everything.
The son of the late, great, Tim Russert, is in the news this week.
No, not because he was filling in for Stat Boy on ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption." (By the way, cute dog, Luke.)
NBC announced this week that young Luke will serve as a correspondent for NBC News and cover youth issues at the upcoming Democratic and Republican national conventions.
Not a big deal, right?
Wrong.
Luke's temporary summer gig has sparked outrage within the NABJ community, especially from one member, who I won't identify by name, but let's just say if they made a "Boondocks" movie, he would make a great Uncle Ruckus.
Show me another recent college graduate who didn't have the last name of a prominent journalist who became a correspondent at-large for the #1 news network in the country based on an internship at ESPN and two years doing an XM Radio show? Was there any bright, talented and poised graduate at Unity provided a similar opportunity? Was there any Unity association member with two to three years of DAILY NEWS experience offered a similar gig? I'm just saying. We can come up with every kind of rationale possible, but we all know the real deal, so let's stop pretending.Nobody is hiding the real deal.
He got the gig because of his father's death.
Luke would be the first one to tell you that.
I understand the journalism industry is going through some tough times and a lot of qualified journalists are being laid off right and left.
But taking that frustration out on a kid who would much rather have his dad back than any NBC gig is not the answer. continue...
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LOL @ the Uncle Ruckus comment.