JohnMGM wrote:
I am curious, what exactly could Tim do to make these folks happy?
1. Apologize for this issue without trying to shift blame to those who discovered it, reported it or did further research

2. Explain why he did not investigate the evidence of plagiarism he received before the story broke to either confirm or deny this serious allegation   

3. Detail what specific adjustments he will be making to VW's editorial processes to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

Contrast Tim's statements with those of WhatCulture, a site that recently discovered two of its writers plagiarized material:
http://whatculture.com/site-updates/whatculture-statement-on-plagiarism.php

 Journalism is journalism, doesn't matter if it's monster "fandumb" or a blog like Whatculture or the New York Times. There are standards to follow.