In his twenty-minute interview, Tim Russert (1950-2008) speaks about his early years growing up in Buffalo, NY and his decision to go to law school. He talks about his transition to television news, joining NBC News in 1984 as a vice president, and working closely with his mentor, NBC president Lawrence Grossman. He chronicles his next career moves: in 1988, becoming the Washington, D.C. bureau chief of NBC News, and in 1991 joining Meet the Press as its moderator. He discusses meeting with Meet the Press co-creator Lawrence Spivak, who gave him the advice to "learn as much as you can about your guest and his and her position on the issues, and then take the other side." He also reveals what he considers to be the biggest news story of his career: the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the United States. Karen Herman conducted the interview on October 12, 2003 on the set of Meet the Press in Washington, D.C.