Theo Baker
investigations. 2022 george polk award. words in NYT, NYMag, The Atlantic, elsewhere. dm for signal. likes and rts are not endorsements. he/they
- Everyone is Cheating Their Way Through College. This article is 1000% accurate to my experience of Stanford. Since Gen Z is already the least media literate generation by several metrics, I do think the fear of reduced critical thinking is quite real. nymag.com/intelligence...
- The Internet, far from the utopian ideal technologists envisioned, is really, truly the ultimate cesspool. Yay humanity! Example 80000000: www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/n...
- Stanford is a notable holdout from this statement condemning Trump’s “political interference” and “overreach.” The letter was signed by the presidents of more than 185 universities, including peers like Princeton, Yale, MIT, UPenn, etc. www.aacu.org/newsroom/a-c...
- In the rush to publish, something may have been overlooked...
- Trump—in exploiting his power to force opponents to bend to his will or be effectively barred from practicing law in federal court—claims the firms “have affirmed their strong commitment to ending the Weaponization of the Justice System and the Legal Profession.”
- More top law firms, including #1 Kirkland Ellis ($7.2bn in revenue last year) and #2 Latham Watkins ($5.6bn in revenue), have caved to Trump demands. Trump has now extracted nearly $1bn from law firms, blackmailing some for effectively no reason apart from the fact that he can.
- On his first day as NIH Director, Stanford prof Jay Bhattacharya oversees an immense bloodletting. This comes as last month alone the NIH canceled 700+ grants, began eliminating thousands of staff, scrapped its scientific integrity policy, etc. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
- Reich, a veteran of the sport, became the first NFL head coach since 1970 to be fired in *two* back-to-back seasons—first from the Colts in 2022, and then from the Panthers in 2023 after a 1-10 start to the season.
- Stanford has hired Andrew Luck’s former coach, Frank Reich, as interim head football coach in the wake of Troy Taylor’s firing. With the team already underwater (3-9 the last two years), and several players entering the draft portal this week, Reich’s year may not be fun.
- Post-WWII, the US public-private-university partnership has been one of our great strengths. Now it's under threat. "Research has found that every $1 invested in r&d returns about $5 in economic gains, a figure that likely understates the true return." www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/b...
- Stanford’s head football coach was found to have engaged in “inappropriate, discriminatory” ways in TWO separate investigations into his “hostile and aggressive behavior.” He remains on the job. www.espn.com/college-foot...
- So I was on a flight into DCA tonight when we had to abruptly abort our landing because, the captain said, another smaller, slower craft had been routed directly in our path. Flight logs show we were just 200 feet above the ground.
- Reposted by Theo BakerEarlier today the LA Times had AI-generated counterpoints to a column from @gustavoarellano.bsky.social. His piece argued that Anaheim, the city he grew up in, should not forget its KKK past. The AI "well, actually"-ed the KKK. It has since been taken off the piece. www.latimes.com/california/s...
- Notable: Stanford follows MIT in adopting a hiring freeze for nonfaculty employees, further emphasizing the uncertainty major universities are facing at the moment.
- Under Muir, Stanford won dozens of national championships...BUT he also oversaw - a disastrous attempt to cut 11 sports - the Varsity Blues scandal (he was implicated but denies participation) - failure on NIL - AND catastrophe with Stanford cut out of conference realignment
- Larry Diamond is arguably the world’s foremost expert on democracy and one of the most well-respected members of the Stanford faculty. Larry is not prone to hysterics; here he brings a sober (and damning) analysis of the state of American democracy. www.persuasion.community/p/the-crisis...
- In 2023, I wrote an @nytimes.com essay about how journals, institutions, scientists, and journalists have been slow to confront research integrity. With everything now, I want to reshare it. Honest investigation can’t fall by the wayside even as bad-faith actors attack. It has to be the opposite.
- In an editorial this week, Science editor-in-chief @holdenthorp.bsky.social urges transparency in the face of increasing outside pressure. “As difficult and scary as it is to talk to tough reporters and critics, the alternative can be far worse,” writes Thorp. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
- A sober and much-needed piece from Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus. Science is in for a real reckoning and those who have been working tirelessly to improve, correct, and defend the integrity of this field—people like Adam and Ivan—understand the risks best. www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...
- Susie Wiles taking Jon Batiste’s seat on the Kennedy Center board is so funny to me. He has seven Grammy’s she has hair full of secrets allá Gretchen Weiners — it’s a perfect swap!
- With all the talk about slashing NIH indirects, I’m surprised more people aren’t discussing the last time this was huge scandal—when *Democrat* John Dingell went on a campaign in the ’90s to blast Stanford for exorbitant spending on the government’s dime. 1/3
- With all the talk about slashing NIH indirects, I’m surprised more people aren’t discussing the last time this was huge scandal—when *Democrat* John Dingell went on a campaign in the ’90s to blast Stanford for exorbitant spending on the government’s dime. 1/3
- What a lede: “On Fri. morning, staffers at a half dozen US-funded medical facilities in Sudan who care for severely malnourished children had a choice to make: Defy President Trump’s order to immediately stop their operations or let up to 100 babies and toddlers die. They chose the children.”
- Charles Piller in @nytopinion.nytimes.com reveals "a malaise within the field" of Alzheimer's research. His book "Doctored," to be published 2/4, details "a litany of ostensible fraud and other misconduct by world-famous researchers and obscure scientists alike." www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/o...
- So excited for @tracyjan.bsky.social, one of the most exceptional editors I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. She is fearless, careful, and endlessly kind. Tracy volunteered to help guide my investigations into Stanford’s president for The Stanford Daily and I was so much better off for it.
- Some happy news! After 8 years at @washingtonpost.com as a reporter and editor, I am excited to join @propublica.org as a senior editor collaborating with local news outlets on investigative projects. Basically, my dream job. I will miss my Post peeps deeply. www.propublica.org/atpropublica...
- Reposted by Theo Baker[Not loaded yet]
