Bob Novak, RIP
ByThe journalists eulogizing Mr. Novak today understand that he was a firebrand conservative and a well-connected Washington insider who had a close network of friends and informants in both parties, but we believe the secret to Mr. Novak’s spectacular success wasn’t any external factor, but instead his innate respect for other people, including his readers and viewers.
Mr. Novak’s political “gossip” column told citizens about the backroom dramas that most Washington bureau reporters thought ordinary people didn’t need to know about or wouldn’t be interested in. By reading Mr. Novak’s column, a schoolteacher in Chicago would be introduced to the real players in Washington and the real issues. They’d learn about top lobbyists, books, and personalities that had become trends amongst Republicans and Democrats, subtle changes to rules, whispering campaigns for leadership roles, and the great divide between what Republicans and Democrats were presenting to the world through the press and what they were really thinking and doing. If he was afraid that he would lose readers for presenting stories in a way contrary to most of the media or his conservative identity, Mr. Novak rarely showed that fear.
As conservative columnists and partisan reporters have become increasingly likely to merely preach Republican Party talking points, we remember that Novak frequently felt free to discuss different views with his readers. We remember Novak columns revealing early on that Richard Darman of the first Bush presidency was pushing the President to renege on his infamous campaign pledge not to raise taxes. It seemed impossible to most that George H.W. Bush would raise taxes after running around the country and requesting that voters “Read My Lips: No New Taxes,” but after Novak reported that Darman was making progress with the President, we knew it was only a matter of time before the tax hike would be officially announced. Likewise, when Mr. Novak believed that the War in Iraq was being influenced by considerations not entirely in his country’s best interests, he didn’t think that his audience was too narrow-minded to understand his concerns. Instead, he presented facts in the plain-speak of an early reporter and respected his readers to consider them and judge fairly.
It could be that Novak was simply a man from another era, a generation of political reporters who were more genial without being less principled. On television’s Capitol Gang, much of the attraction was watching Novak hold his ground as liberal reporters tried to knock him down. It was only later that we found out that he was an owner/producer of the show and the vitriolic liberals picking on him on the show were actually, at some level, friends of his. We rarely saw the liberal gang as ferocious with other conservative panelists like the excellent Mona Charen.
When it came down to it, Novak’s respect allowed him to be more contentious without being more divisive throughout his career in journalism and on both Capitol Gang and Crossfire. That’s a trait that seems almost unheard of today. Both the Right and the Left should be mourning not only the loss of this great reporter, but also the loss of the ideals he personified.
[We will update this post with links below to stories and eulogies written to memorialize Mr. Novak’s passing throughout the day]
Creators Syndicate: CREATORS SYNDICATE columnists pay tribute…
Washington Post: Last of the Great Shoe Leather Reporters
Riehl World View: Robert Novak: RIP
Michelle Malkin: Robert Novak, R.I.P.
Hot Air: Robert Novak, RIP (1931-2009)
CNS News: Political Columnist Robert Novak Dies at 78
CNS News: Legendary Journalist Robert Novak Has Died
Right Wing News: A Bob Novak Story
News Busters: MRC Friend Bob Novak Passes Away; A Look at His Insights About the Media
Gateway Pundit: Columnist Robert Novak (1931-2009)
News Busters: RIP, Robert Novak
Ace of Spades: Robert Novak, RIP
World Net Daily: Journalist Robert Novak dies at 78
FOX News: Columnist Robert Novak Dies After Battle With Cancer
Powerline: Robert Novak, RIP
Swamp Politics: Robert Novak Broke News, Shaped Views
Chicago Tribune: Obituary – Robert Novak
LA Times: Journalist Robert Novak dies at 78
LA Times: Political Columnist Robert Novak Dies at 78; Was Central Figure
NY Times: Robert Novak, Conservative Columnist, Dies at 78
Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago Sun-Times Columnist Robert Novak dead at 78
