The Daily Show and The Colbert Report may not have as high a rating as primetime television shows in America, but what they lack in quantity they make up with quality. It seems their key demographic are generally made up of younger, educated and possibly influential Americans. Probably because of that they are often able to attract guests of immense prominence on the world stage. Clinton, Musharrav, Gates, Blair… to name a few
I think its great these shows are doing this, because sometimes people can better discuss important issues when they are not on the defensive all the time. Humor lightens the atmosphere considerably.
Recently (very recently) in an extended interview Jon Stewart on The Daily Show, Tony Blair, being the brilliant debater he is, skirted around the Iraq War issue pretty well I’d say.
Another favourite guest of mine has to Fareed Zakaria the editor for News Week international. He always seems to be able to succinctly distill the crux of complex world issues into a sentence or two. Fits his job description perfectly too. Also, his latest book, The Post American World is a great read.
