This was probably the best Escapist News Network I've seen in quite some time. I remember the ENN segment being my favorite part of the site when it first came out, and over time it became less so as the focus shifted away from silly analysis of silly stories and more towards the graphics and the special segments. (Really, take one of the older episodes and compare it to the new, the amount of change is rather surprising.)
Based on what I saw with the Newsroom show, I've come to the following prima facie conclusion: the Newsroom is funnier than the Newsdesk because it gives more of the cast a chance to express their creativity with less boundaries. Without having to restrict the stories to a stock format of "One line introduction, one punchline, transition, repeat" it allows for the cast to build upon each other, and, in doing so, drastically increase the amount of funny per story, by at least 81%. AT LEAST.
I hope this format continues in whole or in part of the current ENN setup.