You’ll remember that the other day I pointed to a Poytner finding that The Daily Show is serious about its media criticism. Well it turns out Jon Stewart may have some real competition. The LATimes finds NBC News anchor Brian Williams — fresh off a 30 Rock cameo and Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me Bill Clinton impersonation — takes his comedy seriously:
Stewart, host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” joked that he was “really annoyed” to discover Williams’ quick wit when he first invited him on in 2003.
“Nobody likes a guy who can do a real job and your job,” said Stewart, calling the notion that news anchors shouldn’t show a sense of humor “a false ideal.”
“It’s a silly thing to keep bottled up,” he said. “It won’t necessarily perjure your other work.”
Williams’ levity may surprise viewers who see him as the consummate newsman. He’s made six trips to the war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq and received numerous awards for his on-the-ground coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. (This week, he received the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism from Arizona State University.)
It’s working for him. After two straight seasons of ratings gains, his newscast is up again this season. And he’s clear about limits. He canned a satellite appearance from Afghanistan on Leno after 14 Americans died in helicopter crashes that day.