The mainstream SCOTUS beat is rotten to its core: days after January 6, 2021, the Alitos were interviewed by a Washington Post reporter on the Supreme Court beat about the upside-down “distress” flag flying at their house—but the paper decided it wasn’t a story and sat on it until today.
Perhaps some more unnamed spokespeople will be asked these question and give non-specific, slippery answers. Or maybe not.
My guess is this story has been banging around the newsroom for three years now, and possibly made its way to the Times that way.
Incredibly poor decision by editors/whoever made the call in 2021.
Sitting on it until 25 May after NYT ran a story on 16 May? Unforgivable.
WaPo is the local paper for the Capitol. That's why they got the initial tip. 90% of the time NYT isn't going to get that NoVa tip. WaPo needs to be on it!
Just realized today's WaPo story says Alitos didn't attend Biden's inauguration. Seems a little weird, in spite of Covid.
WaPo reporter visited the Alito's on the day of Biden's inauguration.
Which makes her agitation read differently. Like her yelling “It’s an international signal of distress!”
This section:
They don't go to inauguration. WaPo reporter arrives. Martha-Ann, "Get off my property!"
Alito intervenes to calm.
She yells, “It’s an international signal of distress!” and "Ask them what they did!"
She says neighbors put up signs about them. Hoists novelty flag. Yells more.
Timeline of Upside Down flag events vs Supreme Court activity
17 May WaPo:
Neighbor daughter props up protest signs against bushes in front yard
Other neighbor: It was "late 2020." One sign likely "F Trump." 2nd sign something something “You Are Complicit.”
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
17 May WaPo
Other neighbor: Signs didn't mention Alito explicitly. "Complicit" made some residents wonder whether if it was aimed at him.
"At the time, the Supreme Court was deciding whether to take emergency action on a case related to Trump’s efforts to block Biden’s victory.
When? Which cases?
17 May WaPo
Alito: Fight happened shortly after Jan. 6.
Neighbor: Martha-Ann mouths off to daughter.
Alito: Neighbors erect new sign attacking his wife and blaming her for Jan. 6 riot.
WaPo says after Jan. 6., SCOTUS had to decide if taking emergency action re: Trump blocking Biden’s victory.
That whole interaction described has to have been several minutes with A LOT more said. What did they talk about while she was in the car…twice?? She went to get another flag and put it up. Again, several minutes. There is a lot missing.
Whole thing is boggling. Each day since NYT ran, there've been active stories in papers and broadcast + cable TV. SCOTUS & Alito asked for official statements. And at least 2 major letters (House Dems and Senate Dems) demanding Alito recusals.
It's obvs there's been an internal battle at WaPo.
WaPo, the paper of record in the most politically engaged city in the U. S. "didn't recognize" that an upside-down flag was the international distress signal, let alone that it was a well-known symbol of right-wing dissent? And decided that having that flag outside a SCOTUS justice's house was ok?
WaPo staff knew. Their excellent)reporters and photographers were at the Capitol for J6 where these flags and 2nd flag flew. WaPo won team Pulitzer for J6 coverage and has best visual forensics team in U.S.
That reporter covered SCOTUS for 17 yrs. Did he/editors show deference to Alito? Yes.
The neighbor(s) in question, after seeing no story within a couple of weeks, must have been sitting on tenterhooks thinking "when will I get stopped and a half pound of fentanyl mysteriously found in my rear quarter panel"
WaPo has seen a 50% loss in audience since 2020. But since they're incapable of actually asking their readers what they want (accurate, thorough coverage), they're gonna slash and cut their way to ... what, exactly?
when the only way to get a job in journalism is to drop six figures on an elite j-school education it tends to filter out people who actually know how the world works and what’s important to people who might want to buy papers
