NBC News Correspondent
Son of Tim Russert (longest-serving moderator of “Meet the Press”) and Maureen Orth (special correspondent for Vanity Fair)
Reports from Capitol Hill on the House of Representatives for “NBC Nightly News,” “Today,” MSNBC and NBCNews.com
Filed a report for “Dateline” that was nominated for a 2013 News and Documentary Emmy award
Co-hosted radio talk show “60/20 Sports”
Received the 2009 Marlin Fitzwater Award for Leadership in Public Communication from Franklin Pierce University
Received honorary degree from Wingate University in North Carolina
B.A. degree in history and communications, Boston College
Guest Bio
What Tim Russert Taught Me About Fatherhood
The 700 Club
CBN.com
–ABOUT LUKE
Luke Russert is the son of the legendary journalist Tim Russert. Tim was the moderator of “Meet the Press;” a news/interview show that is the longest running program in television history. Tim passed away in 2008, but his son Luke followed in his father’s footsteps and became an NBC News Correspondent. Luke had no professional experience beforehand but has proven himself as an exceptional journalist by asking the tough and controversial questions from politicians such as Nancy Pelosi and Charlie Rangel. He has covered important political events such as the 2008 presidential election, the 2011 scandal with Rep. Anthony Weiner, and filed a report for “Dateline” regarding the possible wrongful conviction of Jon-Adrian Velazquez that received an Emmy award in 2012. Luke was raised in the Catholic Church and continues his faith while working in the media.
Luke’s relationship with his father was very strong. His father kept his priorities straight by putting his family first even with his demanding schedule. Tim had the luxury to break away from the job for a couple hours during the day and would spend that time going to his son’s sports games. Tim rarely missed Luke’s events. He knew his schedule, his friends, and what his son’s day was going to look like. One of the largest things that Luke learned from his father was that, “You are always loved but you are not always entitled.” Tim taught Luke that success comes from hard work.
TIM & BIG RUSS
Tim wrote the book Big Russ & Me as a memoir of his relationship with his father and the lessons that he learned from him. Tim’s father, Big Russ, was a WWII veteran who worked two jobs without complaint for thirty years and taught his children to appreciate the values of self-discipline, respect, and loyalty. Tim was able to build a remarkable career based off the values that he learned from his father and passed them along to his son Luke.
Hard work is an important core value that Big Russ taught Tim. Big Russ never got much sleep because he worked a day job and a night job. Tim recalls that his father never once complained of all the work that he had to do. Big Russ did not understand why people went bankrupt; he would have taken on a third job to support his family if necessary. When he was being considered for a promotion, three men showed up at their house to get Big Russ to sign off on letting someone less qualified get the job. They offered to sweeten the deal but Big Russ refused the bribe and would not sign off on it because he believed that the most qualified and hardworking person was the one who deserved the job.
The importance of fatherhood is also a very important value that Tim learned from his father and his own experience. When Luke was younger, Tim learned that part of being a good father was being interested in the things that his son was interested in. Tim was a huge baseball fan but when his son opted to drop out of that sport for others Tim had to learn how to support Luke. He learned that every child is different and will like unique things that a parent may not. He learned that it is important to allow your son to be a different person and not try to make them be the same as you. These important core values have been learned and passed down throughout the Russert generations.
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