Beloved Friend---of Theirs

When Tim Russert died,I was shocked. He was only 58, he was in the prime of his career,and judging from the reaction of his friends and colleagues and guests, he was a very good person. I didn't know him, they did. I didn't mourn him,they did. They lost a friend,I didn't.
And so, a week after his passing,I write this to say that while his death was a terrible thing for those who loved him, it was over the top for those of us who didn't.
The programming changes made to accommodate the public display of sadness from MSNBC and NBC was one of the reasons people think the mainstream press is elitist. The mourning of pundits seemed to say, "Tim was special to us,so we will talk him about him way past the point of interest to you".
The next time a newsperson of such magnitude dies,MSNBC should give this a try: a one or two hour special to heap all of the well deserved praise on this giant of the electronic media, not a ritual of grief surpassing a head of state.