I’ve frequently found that the New York Times will publish articles about scientific research that directly contradict the research.
In this article the NYT reports that:
A 1999 study by Alan B. Krueger of Princeton and Stacy Dale of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation found that students who were admitted to both selective and moderately selective colleges earned the same no matter which they attended. The study suggested that the motivation and drive of the student mattered more than the college.