If a MIT professor confirms it, gives a comment about what is this useful for, etc, there's at least a 90% chance the answer will be correct and on point.

It's a stupid example, but the easiest person to find.

Not a stupid example at all. Many colleges, even small colleges, have systems set up to refer journalists with questions with the right professor.

In smaller colleges, it might just be someone inside the college's Communications or PR department. In big universities, it's often a "media bureau" or something similar, with multiple staffers.

That's part of the reason why you see so many academics quoted in newspaper articles. They're a good place to start, and can often send you to even better sources.