The formal final word on the Northwestern University J-school scandal that rocked the world has arrived. As you'll recall, the scandal arose after Medill Dean John Lavine couldn't snappily produce hard evidence of the origins of some anonymous student quotes he used in the alumni magazine. This led to an uproar, which was inane. Now, the formal investigation of this serious matter has concluded. The letter from the Provost has a satisfying undertone of prickliness: the investigative committee said Lavine "could not reasonably be expected to have retained for a year the notes or e-mails documenting the sources of quotations used in the letter; nonetheless, the committee advised that in the future such meticulous archiving might be desirable given the heightened awareness of the problems that can result." FINE, we'll save all the paper scraps for you annoying students! Lavine has also promised not to use any more unattributed quotes in "Medill publications," thereby obliterating the small chance that some newsworthy investigation would ever be printed therein. Truly a step forward for journalism. The Provost's entire note is below.

For reasons fathomable only to the smart people who went to grad school, Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism And Other Minutiae is still in an uproar over J-school Dean John Lavine's use of some anonymous student quotes in a letter promoting the school. A letter in the freaking alumni magazine. And for god's sake these J-school people just CANNOT SHUT UP ABOUT IT. Allow us to whip off our green eyeshades, set down our press passes, and smack some book-learnin' outta these kids, after the jump.