NPR reporter Nina Totenberg made a shocking claim on Tuesday, stating that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring. However, just 10 minutes later, the article was removed and an editor's note was left in its place.
The note read, "This story has been taken down. It was published in error." The original article is no longer available, but it is known that Totenberg had a draft article on Alito's retirement ready in advance of the announcement.
Totenberg claimed that she assumed Alito was retiring after hearing a bystander say that Chief Justice Roberts was making a retirement announcement. However, she later revealed that she made a "rookie mistake" and that the conversation was misheard.
Totenberg apologized to Alito on NPR's "All Things Considered," stating, "I scared everybody half to death for about five minutes. It's entirely on me. It's not anybody else's fault." She also read a personal apology to Alito, saying, "I am so so sorry."
NPR claimed that Totenberg's status as an experienced reporter contributed to the error, stating that she "is one of the most experienced reporters covering the Supreme Court. She's done so for NPR since 1975." The outlet also cited her position as the "preeminent Supreme Court reporter in the courtroom," which led to the trust in her reporting.
Totenberg described the error as the "worst professional mistake" of her 50-year career in journalism. Her apology and acknowledgment of the mistake have been seen as a demonstration of her commitment to accuracy and integrity.
