NBC Nightly News vs. Daily Show

Recently, I watched an episode of NBC's Nightly News and evaluated it's rundown of stories. The news topics were read by the anchor and were usually followed by on-site reporting by serious journalists. The news coverage NBC put out was entirely their own, meaning all reporting was done by the network's own employees. The reporting was objective, lacking interpretation, as well as any entertainment value. Bored with this type of news coverage and seeking something a bit more stimulating, I just watched the most recent episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central.
Quite frankly, the name of the network this "news" broadcast is on should tell you all you need to know. Everything NBC's news coverage lacked, the Daily Show had. The show gives the viewer colorful commentary and comedic value while mocking the traditional news broadcasts of MSNBC, CNN, and FOX. However, everything the Daily Show lacked, NBC Nightly News had. Abesnt from the Daily Show was original reporting (aside from a spoof report on scientists who are attempting to recreate the Big Bang), objective coverage, and serious soundbites from politicians responding to the current events. This shouldn't be a surprise, as the basic premise of the show is to provide laughs with a bit of news coverage mixed in between the comedy.
Overall, the Daily Show is directed towards a completely different audience than the NBC news coverage. The show is there to provide a break from traditional news and to examine the aspects of the established news networks that could be viewed as humorous, like CNN's John King and his "magic board" for example, which I've always found to be rather comical myself.
However, there were some common points to both news shows. Both shows did start with stories on swine flu; NBC talking about the decreasing tensions surounding the disease and Jon Stewart making jokes about how CNN and it's medical reporter, Sanjay Gupta reported the story. They also both talked about President Obama's first 100 days in office. But again, the resembling topics covered are where the similarities end.
After watching both types of news coverage, I can say that choosing one or the other comes down, simply, to what you're looking for in a news show. If your goal is to become educated on the day's events then NBC Nightly News is what you should be watching. But, if you'd rather watch a comedian highlighting all the flops and gaffes provided by the traditionalists, which is probably the only thing I would be seeking had I not chosen political science for my major, then tune in to the Daily Show.