The Post knew about the Samuel Alito flag story in 2021, when it happened, and decided not to publish it. Email not displaying correctly?
View it in your browser ([link removed]) .
[link removed]
[link removed]


** OPINION
------------------------------------------------------------


** The Washington Post had, and didn’t initially run, the upside-down flag story at the home of a Supreme Court justice
------------------------------------------------------------
Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito Jr., left, and his wife Martha-Ann Alito, shown here in Washington on Feb. 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

On May 16 of this year, just a couple of weeks ago, The New York Times ran a stunning story ([link removed]) written by ace reporter Jodi Kantor. The story, which included photos, said that on Jan. 17, 2021 — just a week after the insurrection at the Capitol and just days before Joe Biden’s inauguration — an upside-down American flag was displayed in the yard at the Arlington, Virginia, home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

The upside-down flag was a symbol that many supporters of Donald Trump used to falsely claim the election was stolen from Trump. Such flags were seen at the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Alito told the Times that he had nothing to do with the flag. He told the Times, “It was briefly placed by Mrs. Alito in response to a neighbor’s use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard signs.”

It was not only a big-time scoop, but a disturbing story, seeing as how Alito is part of a court that rules on cases involving the 2020 election and the events of Jan. 6.

One question that came up was the timing of the story. Why was the Times just writing about this now, more than three years after it happened? The Times told me in a statement last week, “We don't hold news. We published the story shortly after interviewing eyewitnesses and acquiring and vetting the image and other information.”

But, it turns out, The Washington Post actually knew about the Alito flag story at the time it happened and didn’t publish it.

A story written by Post reporters Justin Jouvenal and Ann E. Marimow ([link removed]) and published this past Saturday included comments made back in January of 2021 by Martha-Ann Alito. Mrs. Alito spoke with a Post reporter then, but the quotes never appeared in the Post until this past weekend.

The new story included this almost-hard-to-believe passage:

The incident documented by reporter Robert Barnes, who covered the Supreme Court for The Post for 17 years and retired last year, offers fresh details about the raising of the flag and the first account of comments about it by the justice’s wife.

The Post decided not to report on the episode at the time because the flag-raising appeared to be the work of Martha-Ann Alito, rather than the justice, and connected to a dispute with her neighbors, a Post spokeswoman said. It was not clear then that the argument was rooted in politics, the spokeswoman said.

Semafor’s Ben Smith and Max Tani did more digging on this and reported ([link removed]) that Cameron Barr, a former senior managing editor at the Post, said the decision to not run the story was a matter of “consensus,” which included the reporter, Robert Barnes. Barr, however, took responsibility for not running the story. Semafor reported that Marty Baron, the top editor of the Post at the time, was unaware of the story.

Barr told Semafor, “I agreed with Bob Barnes and others that we should not do a single-slice story about the flag, because it seemed like the story was about Martha-Ann Alito and not her husband.”

Smith and Tani wrote for Semafor, “Instead, Barr said, he suggested a story on the bitter neighborhood dispute that Alito told them had prompted his wife to raise the flag. They would use the flag itself, he thought, as a detail in the story. But that story never took shape.”

Barr told Semafor, “In retrospect, I should have pushed harder for that story.”

The Post’s decision to not initially publish the story looks even worse now that the Times broke the story and then published a follow-up ([link removed]) that Alito’s vacation home in New Jersey just last year had an “Appeal to Heaven” flag, another flag carried by Trump supporters on Jan. 6. That flag, the Times wrote, is “now a symbol of support for former President Donald J. Trump, for a religious strand of the ‘Stop the Steal’ campaign and for a push to remake American government in Christian terms.”

Ben Smith, in his piece for Semafor, noted that coverage of the Supreme Court can be divided into two eras. He wrote, “pre-Dobbs and post-Dobbs — or, more specifically, into the period before and after May 2022, when Politico published a leaked draft of the decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade’s federal protection of the right to an abortion. The leak and its aftermath exposed the court’s internal politics and further damaged its carefully-cultivated reputation as an institution above the partisan fray.”

Smith also noted, “Barnes, who is now retired, was part of a generation of Supreme Court reporters made up largely of institutionalists who afforded justices a level of distance from the day-to-day of political coverage unknown to almost any other contemporary government figures.”

Barr told Semafor, “Stories about the court are different than they used to be.” And Semafor added, “The Post’s move was cautious and deferential, and very pre-Dobbs. Now, it’s hard to imagine.”

That’s true. But it’s honestly hard to imagine sitting on that story back in January 2021 — and all the days up until The New York Times broke the story two weeks ago.

A MESSAGE FROM POYNTER
[link removed]


** Health care may swing this election. Are you ready?
------------------------------------------------------------

Reproductive health gets the headlines, but issues like insurance coverage and health care costs may prove critical to certain voters. In this Beat Academy session, experts from KFF Health explore battleground state issues and explain the methods behind the polls driving the news. Get more of what you need for your health care coverage toolkit.

Read more and register now ([link removed]) .


** Remembering a legendary player and broadcaster
------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Walton, shown here in February 2022. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Bill Walton, who played at UCLA in the early 1970s, was the best college basketball player I ever saw. And he was one of the most unusual and charismatic sportscasters of all time.

Walton died Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 71.

Walton was a phenomenal basketball player, winning two national championships in college with a program that went 86-4 in his three seasons. In his most famous college game, Walton made 21 of 22 shots and scored 44 points to lead UCLA over Memphis State in the 1973 national championship game.

Walton went on to become the No. 1 pick in the 1974 NBA draft and led the Portland Trailblazers to their only championship in 1977. The next season, he was named league MVP. Injuries, however, severely cut into his career, though he was a key member of the Boston Celtics’ 1986 championship team. Constantly dealing with foot injuries and other physical issues, Walton missed three full seasons during his career and was limited to only 468 games. Still, he was inducted into the ​​Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

He then went on to have a sensational career as a broadcaster, calling NBA games for NBC and then most recently, college games for ESPN. Often wearing a tie-dye T-shirt, Walton was just as apt to talk about his beloved Grateful Dead or life lessons learned from legendary coach John Wooden as he was about the game — although he could break down a game as well as anyone. What’s even remarkable is Walton was shy growing up and had a severe stutter well into his 20s.

Puck’s John Ourand wrote, “It’s a rare announcer who will get people to watch games that they are not interested in seeing. John Madden, certainly, was one. Bill Walton was another.”

In a statement, ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said, “Bill Walton was a legendary player and a singular personality who genuinely cherished every experience throughout the journey of his extraordinary life, Bill often described himself as 'the luckiest guy in the world,' but anyone who had the opportunity to interact with Bill was the lucky one. He was a truly special, giving person who always made time for others. Bill's one-of-a-kind spirit captivated and inspired audiences during his second career as a successful broadcaster. We at ESPN extend our deepest condolences to Bill's loved ones, including the entire Walton family.”

As part of his statement, NBA commissioner Adam Silver talked about Walton’s playing career and then said, “Bill then translated his infectious enthusiasm and love for the game to broadcasting, where he delivered insightful and colorful commentary which entertained generations of basketball fans. But what I will remember most about him was his zest for life. He was a regular presence at league events – always upbeat, smiling ear to ear and looking to share his wisdom and warmth. I treasured our close friendship, envied his boundless energy and admired the time he took with every person he encountered.”

Walton was truly one of the great ones, on and off the court.

For more, check out this remembrance from Jason Quick in The Athletic ([link removed]) , and here’s a fun video clip ([link removed]) from ESPN. Also, ESPN “Pardon the Interruption” hosts Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon share their thoughts ([link removed]) on Walton.

And go to X and type in “Walton” to see the hundreds of tributes from those inside basketball and broadcasting.


** Media tidbits
------------------------------------------------------------
* The Washington Post’s Laura Wagner and Gerrit De Vynck with “The media bosses fighting back against AI — and the ones cutting deals.” ([link removed])
* Also in the Post, Devlin Barrett with “Trump’s N.Y. trial is not televised, but TV played a starring role.” ([link removed])
* Los Angeles Times climate columnist Sammy Roth with “How ‘Sesame Street’ can prepare kids for climate disasters.” ([link removed])
* A lot of this goes over already known material, but for those unfamiliar with Pat McAfee, this is a decent recap. For The Atlantic, Devin Gordon with “Pat McAfee and the Threat to Sports Journalism.” ([link removed])
* The Wall Street Journal’s Ellen Gamerman writes about author Elin Hilderbrand in “The Queen of the Beach Read Hangs Up Her Bikini.” ([link removed])


** Hot type
------------------------------------------------------------
* The New York Times’ Sarah Diamond with “She Landed One of Music’s Great Gigs, but First Came Boot Camp.” ([link removed])


** More resources for journalists
------------------------------------------------------------
* Got a story you’d like to write for Poynter? Email [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) with your idea, approximate timeline and word count.
* A webinar ([link removed]) at the intersection of healthcare and journalism.
* Work-Life Chemistry ([link removed]) six-week newsletter course: Ditch work-life balance for a more sustainable approach.
* Manage big responsibilities without direct reports? Try Lead With Influence ([link removed]) .

Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .
[link removed]
I want more analysis of the news media to help me understand my world. ([link removed])
GIVE NOW ([link removed])

ADVERTISE ([link removed]) // DONATE ([link removed]) // LEARN ([link removed]) // JOBS ([link removed])
Did someone forward you this email? Sign up here. ([link removed])
[link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed] mailto:[email protected]?subject=Feedback%20for%20Poynter
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
© All rights reserved Poynter Institute 2024
801 Third Street South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
If you don't want to receive email updates from Poynter, we understand.
You can change your subscription preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe from all Poynter emails ([link removed]) .