[Cowperson]

Jon Stewart insists he's a comedian while grousing about the state of how the news is covered.

The New York Times examines whether or not Jon Stewart should actually be given the "out" of being "just a comedian" when facing his critics.

"Stewart needs to be more self-aware," wrote Dan Kennedy, a media critic at The Boston Phoenix, an alternative magazine, on his blog. "By offering serious media criticism, and then throwing up his hands and saying, in effect, 'Hey, I'm just a comedian' every time Carlson took him on, Stewart came off as slippery and disingenuous. Sorry, Jon, but you can't interview Bill Clinton, Richard Clarke, Bill O'Reilly, Bob Dole, etc., etc., and still say you're just a comedian."

On his show, Mr. Stewart does tend to hold softball interviews. When Henry Kissinger appeared last year, Mr. Stewart called him "Sir," too much in awe to press him on anything substantive.

And when Ed Gillespie, chairman of the Republican National Committee, appeared in August, Mr. Stewart begged for an interview with President Bush and promised to be nice.

"I don't make fun of people to their face," he said.

"I know," Mr. Gillespie said. "That's why I'm here."

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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/24/weekinre...cave.html?8hpib

Cowperson