On Wednesday night’s Daily Show, host Trevor Noah gushed over veteran liberal ABC reporter Ted Koppel, proclaiming that there isn’t “anybody in the news who can arguably say they have had a more accomplished career than you have had.”
The liberal Comedy Central host proclaimed that the name Ted Koppel “is synonymous with great journalism, and not just great TV personality but great journalism” and despite Koppel’s push back, Noah insisted “I'm very honest to say that. I'm very honest to say that.”
After Noah finished sucking up to Koppel he wondered if “there's still journalism in the news or is it personality driven?” and the ABC veteran eagerly returned the favor by praising the role liberal comedians like Trevor Noah have in supposedly acting as journalists by mixing news and humor:
Oh sure. No, there's still journalism in the news but I must say you and your colleagues who kind of mix important subjects with humor are in many respects focusing on more important issues than some of the my old colleagues.
See relevant transcript below.
Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
November 18, 2015
TREVOR NOAH: My guest tonight is a legendary newsman who has anchored ABC's Nightline for 25 years. His new book is called "Lights out." Please welcome, Ted Koppel, everyone.
TED KOPPEL: Trevor, this is my oldest grandson, and today is Jake's 18th birthday. And my wife and I were trying to think of a cheap gift, and, frankly, meeting you was the--
NOAH: Happy birthday. Happy birthday. I was confused for a second. I was like, which one is Ted Koppel?
KOPPEL: Exactly.
NOAH: I couldn't tell.
KOPPEL: The old geezer.
NOAH: The resemblance is uncanny.
KOPPEL: Stunning, isn't it?
NOAH: It really is. I do not think there is anybody in the news who can arguably say they have had a more accomplished career than you have had. You started Nightline from an interesting place. You were covering it was Iran at the time, correct?
KOPPEL: I was covering the State Department. And so we were covering the hostage crisis every night. Every night. I'll tell you an interesting story. When when-- when we began covering the hostage crisis, we got our own little section of the newsroom, and they assigned a telephone to us. And the-- I mean, a particular phone number. Our extension number was 444. And as some of the older-- do you have any older people out there?
NOAH: There's one.
KOPPEL: One or two, right.
NOAH: Way in the back.
KOPPEL: The hostages ultimately were held for 444 days. The number was looking at us whole time.
NOAH: Wow. Ted Koppel, the name is synonymous with great journalism, and not just great TV personality but great journalism.
KOPPEL: You're very nice to say that, but you're going to bore people to tears out there.
NOAH: No, no, I'm very honest to say that. I'm very honest to say that.
KOPPEL: Get a little nasty.
NOAH: Do you think-- "Get a little nasty," he said. Do you think there's still journalism in the news or is it personality driven?
KOPPEL: Oh sure. No, there's still journalism in the news but I must say you and your colleagues who kind of mix important subjects with humor are in many respects focusing on more important issues than some of the my old colleagues.
