Franken vs. Hannity

Today’s appearance by Air America host and “Saturday Night Live” alum Al Franken posed a bit of a dilemma. Franken, co-founder of the liberal talk radio network, broadcast his three-hour show live from the Big Easy this morning, and the show included an discussion with our own Karen Dorn Steele on the controversy surrounding Mayor West.

Problem is, Fox News host and author Sean Hannity gave a speech and book signing in February 2004, and we were unable to cover the event. Doing a story about Franken and not Hannity will no doubt be interpreted by many of our critics as clear-cut evidence of liberal bias.

The events were similar in many respects - both took place at the same venue, both were sold out, both were book promotions.

Franken’s appearance differs, however, in that it was tailored to local events. There was extensive discussion of West and preservation of the Spokane River, and interviews included Sen. Lisa Brown, Breean Beggs of the Center for Justice, the Inlander’s Ted McGregor, and Sen. Patty Murray.

Nevertheless, in the interest of fairness, we’re moving the story to the inside of the Region section.

On page one tomorrow, look for more information on today’s brouhaha in the Senate over the Iraq war runup; details on Bush’s strategy to fight a bird flu pandemic; and a plan to save the Rookery block gains more support.