Shannon Bream recently pointed out Justice Samuel Alito’s strong dissent regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling on birthright citizenship. Alito raised concerns about national security, suggesting that children born in the U.S. to foreign mothers or undocumented immigrants could potentially pose risks. He believes this decision gives a “strong incentive” for illegal immigration and may have lasting consequences for the nation.
On another note, NPR had to retract a story after mistakenly stating that Justice Alito was retiring. The report, titled “Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, retires,” stemmed from a misheard announcement. NPR’s legal correspondent, Nina Totenberg, misinterpreted a comment made about Chief Justice John Roberts’ anticipated retirement while leaving the court.
The network acknowledged that a detailed article on Alito’s career was already written, which often happens in journalism when significant figures are approaching retirement or death.
Totenberg later expressed regret over the mix-up, saying, “Dear Justice Alito, there are no words to adequately apologize for today’s error in your retirement report. It was entirely my fault.” She explained that after hurrying out of the courtroom and being caught up in the moment, she misunderstood what was said about a “retirement announcement” and assumed it referred to Alito. “It was one of the worst professional mistakes of my 50-plus years in journalism,” she added.
NPR’s Editor-in-Chief, Krishnadev Karamuru, confirmed that Totenberg personally reached out to Alito to apologize for the incident. He stated that the confusion arose from a misunderstanding, noting that neither Alito nor the Supreme Court’s Office of Public Affairs confirmed any retirement.
Earlier this year, a source had informed Fox News Digital that Alito was not expected to resign this term and was in the process of hiring staff for the next term. Two other sources corroborated this, indicating that Alito intends to stay on until the Supreme Court’s new term starts in October.
Once NPR realized the error, which had been broadcasted and posted on its site, a correction was swiftly issued online and during live broadcasts. NPR had published the story at 10:51 a.m. ET and removed it within approximately six minutes, replacing it with an editor’s note. The error was corrected by 11:07 a.m. ET.
Nina Totenberg, an experienced reporter who has been covering the Supreme Court since 1975, perhaps contributed to the belief that her initial report was factual. Karamuru mentioned that in light of this incident, NPR would be reviewing its breaking news processes. McBride acknowledged the mistake, noting that while there are no excuses for such a blunder, it was an honest oversight prompted by the race to publish timely information. Had the story been true, multiple outlets would have likely reported it almost simultaneously.
Alito, who was appointed by President George W. Bush back in 2005, has raised questions about his retirement due to his age and lengthy service on the bench. Now 76, he has served for over two decades, leading some to speculate that he may be waiting for a conservative successor to be appointed by the Republican-led Senate before the midterm elections.
