Very poor article:

"As that system failed, the plane's computers automatically reduced the pilots' ability to move the plane's control surfaces -- technically known as going to "alternate flight law."

Ditchey said alternate flight law is meant to protect the plane by reducing the ability of pilots to make a mistake, but ultimately it also may limit the ability of pilots to save the plane."

Um, no. The alternate law has reduced protections against the pilot screwing things up and would allow the pilot to, for example, stall the aircraft. It's Normal Law that limits what the pilots can get up to.

If the journalist has thought about it for one second it would have been obvious. No one down in Blagnac is going to follow the thinking "Hmm. In the case that we've lost computer control of the aircraft let's introduce a new set of laws that limit what the pilot can do"

Link to single page:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-brazil-a...