Lukegate: ... Step 1) Tim Russert books the tired Carville-Matalin act more than 35 times on his Meet the Press talk show, boosting their bankability on the lucrative lecture circuit. Step 2) Carville--with Russert's eager prodding--also uses their most recent, conveniently-timed MTP appearance to plug his new XM Satellite radio sports show. ... That's smarmily venal enough, you say? Wrong! Step 3) Carville's co-host on the XM show is Russert's son, Luke, who is "currently a sophomore at Boston College." Russert and Carville joke about this on the air but don't quite have the balls to actually inform viewers of the key conflict:
MR. RUSSERT: James Carville, before you go I understand that politics may be
part of your past, that you're going to go on XM Satellite Radio and do sports?
MR. CARVILLE: Well, Mr. Russert, I can't talk about that too much, but I
think there going to be a story tomorrow's paper. Tomorrow night I'll be on the
Jay Leno show on NBC, and we'll be talking about some exciting new developments
and maybe a new twist on an old career.
MR. RUSSERT: With anyone I know?
MR. CARVILLE: Maybe you would be familiar with someone I'll be teaming up in
this, but let's just say it's going to offer a generational look at sports and
the coaches of sports and things like that ... [Emph. added]
Har, har. ... Special Russert Prosecutor Arianna Huffington effectively exploits almost all the possible lines of attack here--including, but not limited to, the core charge that Russert has perverted the content of his own show for self-interested motives that might be excused as subconscious if they weren't so blatant:
Does Tim think nobody's going to notice that he's having a guest on his "news" show who is making it possible for his son to co-host a national sports radio show before he's out of college?
You'd think NBC would have an ethics policy or something. ...
Maybe someone can ask Russert about this conflict of interest when he speaks to Ripon College on media ethics.
