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submitted 5 months ago by girlfreddy@lemmy.ca to c/news@lemmy.world

Nine days after The New York Times reported about the political symbolism of an upside-down American flag that flew at U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s home, the Washington Post acknowledged it had the same story more than three years ago and decided not to publish it.

The Post’s story was both an extraordinary example of journalistic introspection and an illustration of how coverage of the Supreme Court has changed since the incident itself, shortly after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection.

That day, some of the demonstrators who marched in support of former President Donald Trump carried the upside-down flag. Both newspapers reported that the same symbol was displayed outside of Alito’s home in Fairfax County, Virginia, before President Joe Biden’s inauguration.

Alito has said that his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, raised the flag as part of a dispute with neighbors who had placed “personally insulting” yard signs directed at them. Judges traditionally avoid partisan symbols to maintain the appearance of neutrality in political disputes that may come before them.

For journalists, it raises a question: Should a public official’s family be held to the same standards as that official themselves?

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[-] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 164 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Democracy Dies When the Press is Owned by Billionaires.

[-] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 34 points 5 months ago

But he promised to give his money away when he dies. Don't you like charity?

[-] mp3@lemmy.ca 25 points 5 months ago

Is that the name of his mistress?

[-] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 10 points 5 months ago

Probably, just look for the person made of plastic and trying to look 18 at 40.

[-] Maven@lemmy.zip 8 points 5 months ago

Let's make sure that happens soon then.

[-] circuscritic@lemmy.ca 16 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

That's not how those schemes work.

Buffet, Gates, the Patagonia family, etc., all those Billionaires do is transfer all their wealth, tax free, into "charitable" entities that their descendants can continue to live off of, and profit from, indefinitely.

That by itself is sinister, but the worst part is that the majority of people actually believe they're really giving away their wealth. So they cheat the system, that they already rigged, and it actually gives them a better public image.

[-] ArbitraryValue@sh.itjust.works 91 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

For journalists, it raises a question: Should a public official’s family be held to the same standards as that official themselves?

Bullshit. It raises the question: Should a Supreme Court Justice be believed unconditionally when he offers an excuse for what really looks like inappropriate bias? The discovery that another flag associated with the January 6 attack flew in front of Alito's beach house has shown that the NYT was correct not to accept his story about his wife. I'm honestly surprised by the discussion of how a judge's family is expected to behave - it's as if a dead body was found in Alito's house, he said that he had no idea how it got there, and the press started talking about whether or not he had a responsibility to monitor access to his property more closely.

[-] BigMacHole@lemm.ee 69 points 5 months ago

Why are people SO UPSET at a Judge flying Seditionist flags? It's not like this Judge is sitting on the HIGHEST COURT in the Land and using his Seditionist Bias to REWRITE Laws so they inflict as much Damage on us as Possible!

[-] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 5 months ago

I mean, there's so much more important things to fight about, like litter boxes in classrooms. The news is just woke.

If I have to say it, you're bad at doing internet.

[-] jeffw@lemmy.world 33 points 5 months ago

https://www.semafor.com/article/05/26/2024/in-a-pre-dobbs-world-the-washington-post-deferred-to-a-supreme-court-justice

That’s the actual article that broke this story and it’s a good read. It’s far more complicated than you think

[-] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 10 points 5 months ago

Good link, but not complicated. Judges got a pass on reporting before they started making politically-based decisions. Now they are treated like politicians. The only complicated part is the WP had this for 3 years without publishing.

[-] LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world 22 points 5 months ago

We learned nothing from 2016 election

[-] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 13 points 5 months ago

This. WaPo admits it deflected the narrative and people are talking about what Alito knew.

[-] acetanilide@lemmy.world 20 points 5 months ago

Wait so is he admitting that he knew about it now? The first article I read about this asserted that Alito had no idea about the flag.

[-] poprocks@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago

Of course he knew. He probably attached and raised the flag himself. Both of them.

[-] moistclump@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

That didn't happen. And if it did, it wasn't that bad. And if it was, that's not a big deal. And if it is, that's not my fault. And if it was, I didn't mean it. And if I did, you deserved it.

[-] fmstrat@lemmy.nowsci.com 1 points 5 months ago

No, it's in the article.

[-] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 15 points 5 months ago

Democracy does what in darkness, WaPo?

[-] some_boring_username@lemm.ee 8 points 5 months ago

Democracy already died. In broad daylight.

[-] Baahb@feddit.nl 6 points 5 months ago

On 5th avenue.

[-] sangriaferret@sh.itjust.works 10 points 5 months ago
[-] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 5 months ago

For journalists, it raises a question: Should public officials’ families be held to the same standards as the officials themselves?

Ginny Thomas has a dissenting opinion on this question. Piece of shit trash. I hate these people.

[-] TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

Catch and kill for fascism.

this post was submitted on 29 May 2024
382 points (99.0% liked)

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