On the Record
“Daily Show” host Jon Stewart said on Monday morning that his show will be just fine regardless of the outcome of the November elections. “It’s absolutely irrelevant for us who becomes president,” he said. Dispelling the notion that Barack Obama is tougher to make fun of than John McCain, he said it just “depends on what kind of jokes you’re doing.”
Stewart and his “correspondents” were filming spots for the show in Denver, and more than two dozen journalists showed up to get Stewart’s take on “real” news reporting. Unshaven in a gray t-shirt and plain pants, he quickly quipped, “I hope this isn’t as much a waste of time as the rest of the week will be for you.”
He said he regrets that the “24/7 cable news is driving coverage.” Since they have to fill airtime all the time, he said, everything becomes “news,” when it really isn’t.
He also criticized reporters for being too cozy with sources and holding off-the-record sessions with politicians. Some in attendance, like the New York Times’ David Brooks, said it was the best way to “get to know” pols. Stewart challenged that, saying you only get to know what the pol wants you to know about him or her.
