[R-G] BUSH'S DOMESTIC AIDE ALTERS NEWS STORY ON HIMSELF

[Nicholas Morcinek]

EDITOR & PUBLISHER - The top editor of Syracuse New Times, which saw
its profile of President Bush's new chief domestic advisor altered and
reposted on his Web site, calls the incident "insulting" and said she
plans to consult a lawyer about possible legal action. "What is
getting lost here is that he changed quotes, that is getting lost
here," Molly English, who has served as editor-in-chief of the
alternative weekly for five years, told E&P today. "I find it
insulting and his excuse is awfully lame."

English's comments came a day after the newly appointed domestic
policy advisor, Karl Zinsmeister, acknowledged taking the 2004 New
Times profile of him and changing both quotes and text. He then
reposted it on the Web site of the American Enterprise Institute
magazine, which he edits -- still under the New Times author's byline.
The article, by New Times staffer Justin Park, had been written
because Zinsmeister lived in the Syracuse area.

After the New York Sun revealed that Zinsmeister had posted the
altered copy, and The Washington Post quoted Zinsmeister as admitting
the change, the issue arose at a White House press briefing Tuesday
where press secretary Tony Snow was forced to defend the action.

One of his quotes he changed was originally published as: "People in
Washington are morally repugnant, cheating, shifty human beings." The
Post carried an editorial today suggesting that the White House
probably wished it could revise plenty of newspaper articles it did
not like. It also coined a word for such actions: "Zinsmeistered.". . .

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