In the middle of the Mideast carnage came another bombshell of a (boy band) story: Lance Bass of 'N Sync revealed he's gay.

"There you have it, folks. Singer Lance Bass: Gay at 27," smirked Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show, on Thursday night.

Stewart noted that People magazine, which broke this history-altering bit of news, had Bass on the cover. But the New York Daily News had a photo of Lance with ... Spongebob Squarepants -- a cartoon character who has been the object of rumour and innuendo.

"You may wonder how the paper managed to find the gayest possible picture of Lance so quickly," Jonno asked rhetorically.

Stewart said that when famous people died, there was often a complete, well-researched retrospective available within minutes. That's because newspapers and TV write and produce those obituaries in advance, he said.

Well, with celebrities who may well be gay, but aren't yet out, it's pretty much the same thing, Stewart said.

"It's just good journalism, for God's sake!" he said.

This isn't the case in newsrooms where I've worked, but I'll bet Stewart's item will have some editors thinking. :)

To see The Daily Show clip, go here and click on 'Boy Band Bombshell.'