Someone clearly told the editorial leadership of the New York Times that “All press is good press!” Otherwise, they wouldn’t have submitted themselves to last night’s hilarious — though painful — treatment at the hands of The Daily Show. (They, of all people, really should know that, actually, quite a lot of press is just plain bad.) Executive Editor Bill Keller is an extremely good sport, sitting through a merciless interview with reporter Jason Jones. He manages to appear a bit more deadpan than Rick Berke, who can be seen cracking up and jollily playing along in B-roll shots.The joke, in classic Daily Show form, makes both honest and bogus points. “Point out something in this newspaper that happened today,” Jones asks a flummoxed Berke. Then, also, Jones mocks a phone on a (apparently hard-at-work) reporter’s desk. “A landline phone! Look at me, I’m a reporter from the eighties, making sure everything’s factual!” he cracks. “Ugh, you guys are like a walking Colonial Williamsburg.” The actual footage won’t leave a good taste in your mouth with regard to the Times, but their manning up and actually cooperating with the show probably will.
