The Last Laugh?

Strange Bedfellows: How Late-Night Comedy Turns Democracy into a Joke, by Russell L. Peterson (Rutgers, 272 pp., $24.95)

IF it is indeed a fact that more Americans get their daily dose of news from Jay Leno, Dave Letterman, and Jon Stewart than from Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and the New York Times, that raises a number of questions: Why do we now abjure traditional news outlets? How skewed is our perception of current events? What does this mean for our democracy? And, of course: Are we doomed?

ZM

About the Author

Zack Munson

Mr. Munson is a comedian and writer living in Washington, D.C.

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Strange Bedfellows: How Late-Night Comedy Turns Democracy into a Joke, by Russell L. Peterson (Rutgers, 272 pp., $24.95)

IF it is indeed a fact that more Americans get their daily dose of news from Jay Leno, Dave Letterman, and Jon Stewart than from Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and the New York Times, that raises a number of questions: Why do we now abjure traditional news outlets? How skewed is our perception of current events? What does this mean for our democracy? And, of course: Are we doomed?