It is not easy to admit our mistakes, particularly now, given the current media climate and general culture of intolerance on college campuses. Still, we feel that we owe our readers an apology.
We should not have hired Cannibal P-hacker, an elegant scientist and thinker who, we have come to believe, after serious consideration, does indeed manipulate research materials, equipment, or processes, changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record.
We were aware of Cannibal P-hacker’s history of tweeting about misrepresenting research. At the time we made the decision to hire him, we believed—and still do—that people are capable of change, and that giving Cannibal P-hacker a second chance was a worthy goal in service of our mission to expand the discourse and bring ideological diversity to Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science.
It was not an easy decision. Or a popular one. We received many cruel tweets.
In our interactions with Cannibal P-hacker, he had been unfailingly polite—and sharp as a tack, to boot. We believed he would bring new life to our site and challenge our readers.
However, it was after Cannibal P-hacker’s recent appearance on NPR’s podcast, Ted Talkin’ with Mister P—during which he discussed having misrepresenting research as recently as today—that we have decided to part ways. The language he used to describe misrepresenting research made it clear to us that his original tweets about misrepresenting research did, in fact, represent his carefully considered publication strategy.
Cannibal P-hacker remains a gifted writer and talent. We part as friends.
(Apologies to Katie McDonough.)