Theo Baker
Born2004 or 2005 (age 18–19)
OrganizationThe Stanford Daily
Parents

Theo Baker (born 2004 or 2005) is an American investigative journalist for The Stanford Daily, the student newspaper of Stanford University.[1] In 2023, he became the youngest recipient of the George Polk Award for his reporting that led to the resignation of Stanford president Marc Tessier-Lavigne.[1][2]

Reporting

As a freshman reporter at The Stanford Daily, Baker began publishing stories in November 2022 about accusations that Stanford president Marc Tessier-Lavigne had altered images used in research papers, leading to a formal investigation from the university.[3][4] Baker learned about the accusations through the scientific review website PubPeer and brought them to scientific integrity expert Elisabeth Bik.[3] A lawyer representing Tessier-Lavigne sent letters to Baker, describing his reporting as "replete with falsehoods".[5]

In July 2023, the final university report found that Tessier-Lavigne's research "fell below customary standards of scientific rigor and process" but did not constitute fraud.[6] Baker subsequently published another story that the investigating panel did not grant some witnesses anonymity, so they were unable to testify because of active non-disclosure agreements.[3] Tessier-Lavigne announced his resignation as Stanford's president on July 19, 2023, with multiple major news outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, attributing it as a direct result of The Stanford Daily stories.[6][7]

Awards

In February 2023, The Stanford Daily received one of the 2022 George Polk Awards for its reporting on Tessier-Lavigne, the first time an independent, student-run newspaper has won the award.[8][9] The Polk Awards gave Baker a "Special Award", making him the youngest ever to win it.[1][9] He has also received a James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.[2]

Personal life

Theo Baker's parents are journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser.

Baker is from the Washington, D.C., area[3] and is the son of journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser.[10] In response to criticism that he is a "nepo baby", Baker said that he was fortunate to have good role models, but that he keeps his parents "entirely separate" from his reporting.[11] Baker told Teen Vogue, that he had previously said he would never become a journalist but changed his mind to "feel connected to [his] late grandfather, who passed just two weeks before [he] started at Stanford, and who would always sit down and talk about his time doing student journalism."[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Robertson, Katie (February 20, 2023). "New York Times Wins 3 Polk Awards". The New York Times. Retrieved July 21, 2023. A special award was given to Theo Baker, a student at Stanford University and a reporter for The Stanford Daily, for uncovering allegations that some research papers co-written by Stanford University's president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, contained manipulated images. The university is now investigating the allegations. Mr. Baker, 18, is the son of two journalists — Peter Baker of The New York Times and Susan B. Glasser of The New Yorker, and is the youngest recipient of a Polk Award, according to Mr. Darnton.
  2. 1 2 Tucker, Jill (July 19, 2023). "Meet the Stanford student whose reporting led to resignation of president Marc Tessier-Lavigne". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Purtill, Corinne (July 21, 2023). "Q&A: How this Stanford freshman brought down the president of the university". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  4. ↑ Allen, Barbara (December 11, 2022). "The Stanford University president is under investigation, and student journalists are a large part of the reason why". Poynter. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  5. ↑ Luna, Itzel (July 28, 2023). "The Resignation of Stanford's President Shows the Importance of Student Journalism". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Saul, Stephanie (July 19, 2023). "Stanford President Will Resign After Report Found Flaws in His Research". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  7. ↑ Svrluga, Susan; Stripling, Jack (July 19, 2023). "Stanford president will resign after questions about research". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  8. ↑ Jones, Tom (July 20, 2023). "A Stanford student paper's excellent work leads to a major resignation". Poynter. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Sze, Kristen (July 20, 2023). "Stanford freshman's determined reporting leads to investigation, president's resignation". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  10. ↑ Asimov, Nanette (February 17, 2023). "Student paper: Scientists say study by Stanford president contained false data". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ Hall, Ellie (March 9, 2023). "This 18-Year-Old College Journalist Could Bring Down Stanford University's President". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  12. ↑ Retta, Mary (July 21, 2023). "This Stanford Freshman's Reporting Brought Down the School President". Teen Vogue. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
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