Real Journalists™ have a lot to learn from this frosh student journo who took down Stanford's president

Stanford University has — shall we say? — got some issues. Some pretty troubling ones.

But once in the bluest of blue moons, they get something right. And they clearly got something right when they admitted Theo Baker as a student.

Neuroscientist Marc Tessier-Lavigne will be stepping down from his post as Stanford President effective August 31, and it's largely thanks to Baker. But this wasn't a case of cancel culture run amok; this was a case of journalism. Actual, legitimate journalism — by Theo Baker.

According to Jerry Yang, chair of the Stanford Board of Trustees, Tessier-Lavigne will step down “in light of the report and its impact on his ability to lead Stanford.” Former Dean of Humanities Richard Saller will serve as interim president. In a separate statement, Tessier-Lavigne defended his reputation but acknowledged that issues with his research, first raised in a Daily investigation last autumn, meant that Stanford requires a president “whose leadership is not hampered by such discussions.”
“At various times when concerns with Dr. Tessier-Lavigne’s papers emerged—in 2001, the early 2010s, 2015-2016, and March 2021—Dr. Tessier-Lavigne failed to decisively and forthrightly correct mistakes in the scientific record,” Stanford’s report said, identifying a number of apparent manipulations in Tessier-Lavigne’s neuroscientific research.
...
The report concluded there was no evidence that Tessier-Lavigne himself manipulated data in the papers reviewed, nor that he knew about manipulation at the time. But the report noted Tessier-Lavigne “has not been able to provide an adequate explanation” for why he did not correct the scientific record when presented the opportunity on multiple occasions.
“I am gratified that the Panel concluded I did not engage in any fraud or falsification of scientific data,” Tessier-Lavigne said in a written statement. He acknowledged that “the report identified some areas where I should have done better, and I accept the report’s conclusions.”