We're all excited about Jon Stewart hosting the Academy Awards. He's so funny. He's made the news interesting. He's replaced the dry and almost-pompous sounding newscasts of broadcast television.

Jon Stewart represents the face of a new way of reporting the news on television, and the people of our generation no longer have to grin and bear bad newscasts. They can now simply grin. And more often than not, they'll laugh.

I, however, am happy he's hosting the Oscars for different reason. I think it will reveal Stewart for what he is, an entertainer, and not a newsperson. Too many times I've heard voices around campus saying that they exclusively learn what goes on in the world from this Comedy Central mainstay.

It's common to hear people say there isn't enough time to pick up a newspaper and read about the community, the nation and the world. It's too much of a challenge, even, to watch cable or broadcast news to passively suck up some vital information. For shame.

Hey what's so bad about enjoying the news a little? Why shouldn't you be able to laugh and make fun of the oftentimes absurd intricacies of government? Nothing's wrong with those things. They're essential to a healthy democracy, at least I think.

It is not healthy, however, to develop a news diet that consists solely of Jon Stewart. It is no healthier than it is to consume only strawberry Pop-tarts just because they taste good.

As diets go, this is usually the time of year people make resolutions about losing weight or following a healthier diet, all ahead of the summer beach season. Add this to your list of resolutions, although I can't promise my solution will trim your waistline: Cut the fat from your news diet and add a little protein. Cut Jon Stewart's banal current events jokes from your daily information diet.

It's time to beef up with a little bit of news by picking up The New York Times around campus, reading the Washington Post online or flipping on C-SPAN, just to see what a Supreme Court nomination hearing actually looks like.

This country is fortunate to have vast and various media to report the news to us.

I'm suggesting taking advantage of an outlet that conveys real news. It's lazy and irresponsible to rely on a sole source, especially when that source is a man who values comedic timing over timeliness, a man who esteems silliness over accuracy and precision.

The news enables us to make important decisions about the way we lead our lives. I feel passionately about this point, and I think it's disastrous for democracy to have a citizenry that pulls information only from a funnyman.

That many in our generation have come to expect the news to have an amusing twist and funny innuendo interspersed in it says that people need a watered down and much-adorned version of events.

It's time to recognize the importance of real news. Let the newsmakers report the facts of events and let Jon Stewart report who won best actress in a supporting role.