Tony Snow was great, too

The last few weeks have been emotional ones within the ranks of the national media community.

Last month, NBC's Tim Russert died of a heart attack, leaving that network with a gaping hole when it comes to its political coverage.

Then, Tony Snow, who was best known for his work on Fox News and as President Bush's press secretary, died last week of cancer at age 53. Snow had battled the disease for the last few years and had to leave the Bush administration in 2007 because of the illness.

Though the styles of the two differed, they also had similarities that resulted in both being among the best in the business.

Both men were known for being upbeat, but the way they projected themselves was often quite different.

When watching Russert, his eyes twinkled when he questioned public figures, and the enthusiasm he had for his craft often appeared like a big ball of energy that he could barely keep contained.

Snow, on the hand, appeared much more laid back. There was a calmness and gentleness to his demeanor that was very appealing.

In an age where "in-your-face" media coverage is all the rage, Snow was a refreshing departure from that. True, he was very adept at sparring with the media when he was press secretary, but there was a dignity to his approach that set him apart.

'Gentleness' is an adjective that is rarely used when describing a journalist, but I believe it was an important ingredient in what made him so successful. When he worked at Fox News, he could grill a politician as expertly as Russert did. However, it was usually done in a gracious way that allowed his guest to make his point and allowed the audience to make up its own mind on the issue being discussed.

Unfortunately, our society really doesn't understand what gentleness means. To many, gentleness is seen as a weakness that means a person is soft or wishy-washy.

Of course, that isn't the case at all. In many cases, being gentle in a situation requires intense emotional strength and discipline. However, we don't see a lot of that in the media and society.

The reason much of the media has embraced the "in-your-face" approach is because it is a reflection of our culture. We love confrontation and controversy.

Because of this, deep and thoughtful discussions on important issues are often brushed aside so we can all focus on whatever the scandal of the day is.

Snow was truly unique. Though his career blossomed in arenas associated with Republicans, he was also respected for the independent way that he questioned politicians and reported stories. This is a trait that he shared with Russert who began his career in Democratic politics.

With the deaths of these two, their approaches to informing the public may slowly be going the way of the dinosaur. Though that analogy may be a little over the top, there can be no denying their approaches are occupying a smaller and smaller portion of the media landscape.

Many news programs contain only a few minutes of news and devote most of the program to "commentary" that is slanted toward a particular ideology.

Though there are programs that pander to both conservatives and liberals, the worst examples of this can be found on the MSNBC network. When it isn't showing re-runs of To Catch a Predator or prison documentaries, it presents programs so slanted that it is obvious who they favor and who they do not.

And we all suffer because of it.