This is rich; left-o…

This is rich; left-of-center folks concerned about media bias.

In the wake of a firestorm on the House floor over a Newsweek article about desecrating the Quran, a dozen members of Congress have planned a forum next Tuesday on media bias, RAW STORY has learned.

Among those scheduled to testify are Air America Radio host Al Franken, Media Matters chief David Brock, AmericaBLOG’s John Aravosis, a Washington bureau BBC reporter, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting’s Steve Rendell and Mark Lloyd, from the progressive thinktank Center for American Progress. Wonkette’s Ana Marie Cox has also been invited.

The panel will be hosted by ranking House Judiciary Committee Democrat Rep. John Conyers, Jr (D-MI).

To be honest, I don’t know specifically each person or group’s leaning, but of the 7 I’m pretty confident that 5 are liberal. If this is supposed to be a fair and balanced look at bias, it’s neither. What’s more, the conclusions have already been written. How convenient!

“I think a number of Democratic members have been disturbed about what is and what isn’t being covered in the corporate news media,” a House aide said, speaking of the event. “Specifically, there’s been a great deal of disappointment of the media’s coverage of the Iraq war and the Downing Street memo and great concern about the White House’s efforts to intimidate media outlets such as they’ve done in the Newsweek matter.”

Somehow, Newsweek jumping on a single-sourced story that is embarrassing to Bush, the military and America in general will be characterized as perfectly normal, while the reaction to it will be painted as censorship. And as an Ann Coulter column noted (mentioned by Clayton Cramer), Isikoff sat much longer on better sourced stories when they were embarrassing to Clinton. This, too, will be glossed over, if mentioned at all.

And “intimidate media outlets such as they’ve done in the Newsweek matter”? Please, not even Terry Moran, who is the one who asked Scott McClellan “who made you editor of Newsweek”, doesn’t even go that far.

What I, in fact, agree with the substance of what Scott McClellan was saying, that it would be a good thing for Newsweek to come out try to undo some of the damage that was done by its report.

He agreed that the use of the bully pulpit to rally supporters to pressure Newsweek is perfectly legitimate. McClellan did not instruct Newsweek as to how to handle the situation, but suggested it would be a good idea to do a bit more. And Moran agreed. How about these Democrats? Think they’ll consider this?

Hold not thy breath.

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