By April MacIntyre Jul 31, 2008, 21:51 GMT
Luke Russert, the grieving son who gave a moving eulogy for his father, the late NBC News journalist Tim Russert, is set to join the network as a correspondent, NBC News announced Thursday.
Maureen Orth (R), widow of the late Tim Russert, and their son Luke Russert, arrive at a memorial service for Russert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, USA, 18 June 2008. Russert, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack on Friday, 13 June 2008, was host of NBC's 'Meet the Press' and was also NBC's Washington bureau chief. EPA/MATTHEW CAVANAUGH
Russert recently graduated from Boston College with a degree in history and communications, and he is poised to cover the youth vote through the national political conventions and the general election, the network said.
The network will have the 22 year-old act as an at-large correspondent reporting for many of NBC’s outlets, including “NBC Nightly News,” TODAY, MSNBC and msnbc.com.
“Reporting the stories will be the best team in the business, and we welcome Luke Russert to that group,” NBC News President Steve Capus said. “Never before in an election cycle has so much attention turned to the youth vote, and Luke will bring a unique perspective to covering it.”
Russert currently co-hosts a sports talk show on XM satellite radio with Democratic political consultant James Carville, and he said in an interview that he was “excited to try out television.”
Tim Russert died suddently of a heart attack while at work on June 13. It was Luke Russert’s eloquence in talking about his father at his service that impressed NBC executives.
“We are the future,” Russert said during the speech.
“I think he’d be proud of me,” Russert said. “I think that he would very much want me to work as hard as I possibly can, to do the best I can.”
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