The Washington Post had the story about an upside down flag hanging outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Sam Alito 3 years ago in January 2021 but decided not to publish it.

After the New York Times ran the story about the upside flag, Alito said his wife, Martha-Ann Alito, displayed it as a result of a dispute with the couple's neighbor, who allegedly had directed “personally insulting” yard signs at them.

According to a Semafor report, Cameron Barr, former Washington Post senior managing editor, has said he was responsible for the decision not to run the story at the time.

Barr said he had proposed a story about the dispute between Alito and his neighbor that would incorporate the upside down flag display but that story didn't move forward and he regrets not advocating more for it to run.