You seem to imply "real" journalism cannot use humour, because somehow the goal of getting laughs crowds out the primary goal of informing the audience. And yet

You seem to imply "real" journalism cannot use humour, because somehow the goal of getting laughs crowds out the primary goal of informing the audience. And yet studies show that Stewart's audiences, as an example, are better informed than those who take their news primarily from network news channels. Inferring "it's comedy, therefore not serious/credible" is a fallacy, just as "news read by serious anchor is balanced and informative" is a fallacy. People should stop judging books by their cover and shows by the blurbs on their websites. Ask instead whether the content is factual or not. By this standard, Last Week Tonight is very credible. I often say that John Oliver isn't trying to make you laugh, but to make you cry. He uses comedy to penetrate the audience's guard in order to deliver the painful truth.