How the republicans manipulated an article about Alito and his agenda

[RagingInMiami]

On Dec. 1, Knight Ridder's Washington bureau sent a story analyzing the record of Judge Samuel Alito to our 32 daily newspapers and to the more than 300 papers that subscribe to the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. Written by Stephen Henderson, Knight Ridder's Supreme Court correspondent, and Howard Mintz of the San Jose Mercury News, the story began:

``During his 15 years on the federal bench, Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has worked quietly but resolutely to weave a conservative legal agenda into the fabric of the nation's laws.''

(snip)

Within days, the Senate Republican Conference circulated a lengthy memo headlined, ``Knight Ridder Misrepresents Judge Alito's 15-year record.''

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a leader in the Alito confirmation process, sent a letter to the editor of The Philadelphia Inquirer, a Knight Ridder paper, denouncing the story as ''neither objective nor accurate.'' The Inquirer published it on Dec. 7.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/13620826.htm