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]
Theo Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | 2004 or 2005 (age 19–20) |
| Organization | The Stanford Daily |
| Parents | |
Reporting
editAs 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, characterizing it as a direct result of The Stanford Daily stories.[6][7]
In late March 2024, an article by Baker, titled 'The War at Stanford,' was published in The Atlantic.[8] The article discussed the response of Stanford University to the October 7 Attack, arguing that the attack was not adequately condemned. Similarly, Baker asserted that pro-Palestine students' rhetoric led to antisemitism and created a culture of fear for Jews on campus.[8] The article also mentioned an instance where a Stanford student allegedly advocated for violence against President Biden,[9] an action some, like journalist Glenn Greenwald, denounced as a form of doxxing.[10] The article was criticized by others on the basis of its portrayal of student protestors, alleging a biased narrative ignoring islamophobia and the plight of Palestinians.[11] Jonathan Chait later published a piece in New York Magazine responding to this criticism, suggesting progressive attacks were motivated by viewpoint outside the mainstream and that critics were espousing "illiberal left-wing thought."[12]
Awards
editIn 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.[13][14] The Polk Awards gave Baker a "Special Award", making him the youngest ever Polk awardee.[1][14] 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
editBaker is from the Washington, D.C., area[3] and is the son of journalists Peter Baker and Susan Glasser.[15] He is a graduate of Phillips Academy Andover.[16]
Baker is often portrayed as a "nepo baby", benefitting from the status of his parents in the journalistic world.[17] He denounced the criticisms, saying while he was fortunate to have good role models, he strived to keep his parents' influence "entirely separate" from his reporting.[18] 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."[19]
References
edit- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Luna, Itzel (July 28, 2023). "The Resignation of Stanford's President Shows the Importance of Student Journalism". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Svrluga, Susan; Stripling, Jack (July 19, 2023). "Stanford president will resign after questions about research". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Baker, Theo (March 26, 2024). "The War at Stanford". The Atlantic.
- ^ Clark, Jeffrey (March 26, 2024). "Stanford student called for Biden's assassination for advancing 'genocide' of Palestinians, classmate claims". Fox News.
- ^ Greenwald, Glenn. "The Atlantic Doxes Pro-Palestine Students w/ Nepo Baby, Theo Baker". YouTube.
- ^ Lennard, Natasha. "Pro-Israel Advocates Are Weaponizing "Safety" on College Campuses". The Intercept.
- ^ Chait, Jonathan (March 28, 2024). "Does the Left Think Young Left-Wing Protesters Matter or Not?". Intelligencer.
- ^ Jones, Tom (July 20, 2023). "A Stanford student paper's excellent work leads to a major resignation". Poynter. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Sze, Kristen (July 20, 2023). "Stanford freshman's determined reporting leads to investigation, president's resignation". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- ^ Asimov, Nanette (February 17, 2023). "Student paper: Scientists say study by Stanford president contained false data". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
- ^ Bonos, Lisa (July 30, 2023). "Meet the student who helped boot the president of Stanford". Washington Post. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
- ^ Tucker, Jill. "Meet the Stanford student whose reporting led to resignation of president Marc Tessier-Lavigne". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
- ^ Hall, Ellie (March 9, 2023). "This 18-Year-Old College Journalist Could Bring Down Stanford University's President". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ Retta, Mary (July 21, 2023). "This Stanford Freshman's Reporting Brought Down the School President". Teen Vogue. Retrieved July 28, 2023.