NPR’s Alito retirement blunder raises eyebrows after reporter's ‘not plausible’ explanation stuns media world

The strange explanation surrounding NPR’s erroneous story about Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito retiring has raised more questions about the journalism debacle. 

NPR was forced to retract a story Tuesday by legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, who wrongly reported that Alito was retiring. NPR published the story headlined, "Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, retires," but quickly replaced it with an editor’s note insisting it was "erroneously published." 

NPR top editor Thomas Evans issued a statement calling the botched report a "misunderstanding," and said Totenberg would appear on "All Things Considered" to explain how the gaffe occurred. 

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But NPR Public Editor Kelly McBride addressed the situation before Totenberg appeared on-air and wrote that Totenberg "misheard" an announcement by Chief Justice John Roberts and simply thought he said Alito was retiring. 

Totenberg then appeared on "All Things Considered" Tuesday and provided a different explanation for the "rookie mistake" that contradicted her own public editor. The 82-year-old Totenberg, who has been a working journalist for over five decades, read a letter she wrote to Alito apologizing for the mistake.

"Dear Justice Alito, there are no words to adequately apologize for today's error in reporting your retirement. It was entirely my fault," Totenberg said.

"I rushed out of the courtroom after the opinion announcements, and when I realized that the usual rush of folks after a few minutes had not happened, I asked somebody what was going on inside, to which the answer was, 'retirement announcements.' I didn't hear the 's' on 'announcements,' and I assumed, something no reporter should ever do, that you were retiring," Totenberg continued. "It was the worst professional mistake of my more than 50 years in journalism. I could go on, but I don't know what else to say, except that I am so, so sorry." 

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NPR was then forced to issue its second correction of the day, this time to McBride’s story about Totenberg’s misstep. McBride initially wrote that Totenberg misheard Justice Roberts, but the veteran reporter admitted on-air that she instead heard "somebody" say a retirement was being announced. 

"This story was updated to include Totenberg's description of her error, as broadcast on ATC. She did not personally hear the announcement from the chief justice," the correction stated. 

Alito's retirement would have massive implications if it happened, as President Donald Trump would be in position to have a fourth Supreme Court pick over his two terms.

Totenberg's puzzling explanation not only contradicted McBride but also stunned media observers from across the industry. CNN media reporter Brian Stelter posted her apology on X and was promptly met with confusion. 

Axios reporter Alex Thompson replied, "I don’t understand," to which Stelter added, "I don’t either." Others suggested that Totenberg might have jumped the gun on a looming announcement and many wondered why a veteran journalist would have published a pre-written bombshell without clear confirmation. 

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Bethany Mandel added, "Her version of events is not plausible. She heard the word retirement and assumed Alito and published a whole story?" 

"That is not an explanation. It's either a lie or unforgivable incompetence for which she must be fired," journalist Miranda Devine responded. 

Former CBS News reporter Scott MacFarlane wrote, "This is staggering. Just… gobsmacking."

"The Press Box" host Bryan Curtis added, "This is a different level of screw-up than a pre-write accidentally getting pubbed."

Many others took to X with thoughts:

NPR has said the process for posting breaking news will be reviewed. In the meantime, McBride blasted her colleague. 

"As Totenberg said on air later in the day, ‘It was a rookie mistake.’ But had a rookie made such a mistake, he or she would have been dismissed. To make such an assumption is inexplainable," McBride wrote. 

NPR did not immediately respond to a series of questions, including whether Totenberg would be disciplined and how the process for posting breaking news will change.

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Alito, an appointee of then-President George W. Bush, has fueled speculation about his retirement because of two factors: his age and the length of his tenure on the bench. The 76-year-old justice has been part of the Court for more than 20 years. 

Republicans currently control the U.S. Senate and White House, so a hypothetical Trump nominee wouldn't need Democratic support to get confirmed.

Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf, Alec Schemmel and Ashley Oliver contributed to this report.