We’ve covered the comic-fest that is the traditional White House Correspondents’ Dinner since Stephen Colbert spoke truth to power at the height of the debacle that was Dubya.

This just happened tonight: enjoy. I particularly liked when President Obama briefly got serious at the very end, about the role of truth-seeking journalism as the foundation of democracy, and the importance of listening to sources other than those that agree with us all the time.

‘For all the changes and challenges facing your industry, this country absolutely needs a healthy, vibrant media. Probably needs it more than ever now. Today’s technology has made it possible for us to get our news and information from a growing range of sources; we can pick and choose not only our preferred type of media but also our preferred perspective. And while that exposes us to an unprecedented array of opinions, analysis and points of view, it also makes it that much more important that we’re all operating on a common baseline of facts … every single reporter in this room believes deeply in the enterprise of journalism.”

My one complaint: who the hell invited Jay Leno.

Youtube:

Complete video via CNN:

You can click here to watch complete video on CSpan, as I did.

The best ever—it was more than a roast, it was a rare moment of seeing the truth spoken in front of an insulated, powerful President: