The media reports it as "both sides" rather than clearly pointing out that Byrd had a change of heart, was repentant, and by the time of his death, was honored by the NAACP.

In 1997, Byrd told an interviewer he would encourage young people to become involved in politics but also warned, "Be sure you avoid the Ku Klux Klan. Don't get that albatross around your neck. Once you've made that mistake, you inhibit your operations in the political arena."

Sounds to me like he was only repentant because his involvement with the KKK messed up his political operations...