Alito's choice not to respond to ProPublica's questions directly but instead publish a preemptive rebuttal in a competing outlet was "pretty rinky-dink," Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee Vice Chair Chris Roberts told The Washington Post . Committee Chair Fred Brown agreed, calling it an "affront" that could have avoided "a lot of justifiable criticism" and reader confusion if the Journal had simply waited to publish Alito's essay until after ProPublica's report had gone live. Hours before ProPublica published its investigation into Alito and Singer's relationship, the justice took the unusual step of "prebutting" the not-yet-public allegations in a lengthy Wall Street Journal essay titled " ProPublica Misleads Its Readers ." "We're curious to know whether the Journal fact-checked the essay before publication," he added, pushing back on the piece's declarative title in particular. "Justice Alito shouldn't have to do the media's job," Blackman said.

Source: Wall Street Journal June 25, 2023 21:07 UTC