On the final day of the Supreme Court’s current term, National Public Radio issued a swift retraction Tuesday after one of its articles falsely claimed that Justice Samuel Alito was leaving the court. The news organization attributed the mistake to “a misunderstanding.”
The erroneous story was written by NPR’s longtime Supreme Court and legal affairs correspondent, Nina Totenberg. NPR said she planned to speak about the situation on air later that same day.
An editor’s note distributed through some NPR affiliate stations read: “Earlier today, we erroneously published a story saying that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was retiring. Neither Alito nor the court’s public information office has announced his retirement, and we have retracted the story.”
NPR Editor-in-Chief Tommy Evans later released a statement acknowledging the mistake and expressing regret for any confusion it may have created.
“Due to a misunderstanding, NPR’s Supreme Court and Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg incorrectly reported that Justice Samuel Alito had retired. Neither Justice Alito nor the Supreme Court Public Information Office has announced his retirement,” Evans stated.
He continued: “As soon as the error was realized, the story was retracted and removed from NPR’s website and an on-air correction was broadcast. We regret the error and any confusion this may have caused.”
Evans also noted that Totenberg would appear on Tuesday’s broadcast of “All Things Considered” to address the matter, and that she had personally reached out to Justice Alito to apologize.
NPR had already pulled the story before Evans’ statement, after the Supreme Court’s public information office disputed the report earlier in the day.
The confusion appears to have stemmed from a busy day at the court. Chief Justice John Roberts had announced the retirement of several court staff members, as he typically does once the court’s final opinions of the term are released. However, Justice Alito’s name was not included in those announcements.
Earlier this year, speculation had circulated about what Alito’s future plans might be. However, both Fox News and CBS reported this past spring that he intended to stay on the court.
Alito has served on the Supreme Court since 2006, when he filled the seat vacated by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. He was nominated to the position by President George W. Bush, a Republican.
