Loss

        I was there to discuss about how the producers at MSNBC, which I was now charged with overseeing, interacted with the producers and on-camera talent from the Washington bureau, which Tim ran. I left with a cogent list of marching orders. He was passionate about news, fiercely loyal to NBC News in particular, and extraordinarily competitive. The fact that he died suddenly and at the peak of his influence, heightened the sense of loss.

        In the days since his death, I've had a number of conversations with people who were once making daily journalism and, for a number of reasons, now aren't. While their absence from journalism isn't headline-making, and certainly not tragic, the loss of them from the field does underscore the treacherous perils facing the business of journalism.

        While these are exciting times for creative multi-faceted content creators, there is a danger that we are losing a generation of smart, experienced producers, reporters, and news executives because of the tsunami of layoffs and downsizing brought about by the diminution of journalism, both in newspapers and on television.

        Every great journalistic business thrives partly on of the interplay of institutional memory and cutting-edge innovation. When the memory goes away, and the innovation is not rooted to a solid foundation, there is danger of loss of context, an appreciation for what was. In other words, the best organizations are a mix of experience and seasoning, innovation and youth.

        A couple of weekends ago, I met a former high-ranking newspaper managing editor with a long and distinguished resume. His insights about the state of journalism were sharp and nuanced. He was a delight to spend time with. He's maybe 60, youthful and energetic. I could easily imagine him in the newsroom, urging his staff on to excellence. But, as he told me, those days are behind him, as he pursues a second career in publishing.

        "I don't miss the newsroom, not with what it's become: managing cutbacks and worrying about things other than the news. When I was a managing editor, we believed there was room in this country for excellent regional papers, just under the great newspapers: The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Nobody talks that way anymore."

        I had lunch the other day with a former boss of mine from my days in cable news. He's in his early fifties now and was a terrific newsman and a creative television producer for decades. His line of credits extends from executive-producing network newscasts to running syndicated programming. He made coming to work fun, and challenging. Yet he, too, is out of journalism now. Instead, he runs a major web-based business. He's bringing that same sense of spirit and adventure that was once integral to almost every news operation to his new digital endeavors. When I asked him if he misses the chase of daily broadcast journalism, he broke out into a wide smile:

        "Are you kidding? I'm running a business, learning new things everyday, right on a cutting edge. Miss the sniping and the politics and ever-present threat of the cutbacks? No way."

        We can't be steeped in nostalgia for the sepia-washed good old days. We have to keep moving ahead and trying new things. But, at a time when the business of journalism is under siege as never before, there should be room for these folks like my friends. It's not that they miss journalism: as with Tim Russert, journalism is missing them.