The death of Tim Russert has got me thinking about the huge role the news media plays in my life. I love journalism (which is not punditry. Punditry leads to things like sexism against Hillary Clinton or smearing Michelle Obama while wearing a placid smile and a lot of TV makeup). I rely on journalists every day and I'm very grateful to newspaper reporters in particular who work long hours on often tedious assignments so I can read finished stories and often, blog about them. This is why bloggers' AP boycott pisses me off. I’m not a journalist, but I benefit from journalists' work.