See this is where John Oliver (and before him, Jon Stewart) are really duplicitous. They talk about the news in a certain way that implies that they have done their research and are delivering useful information, but they crack wise as they are doing so, in such a way that obviously fits in with whatever narrative or reaction they're trying to sell. And then when they get called out for being dishonest or biased, they say, "wait a minute, I'm just a comedian!"