What does it mean... to front an exposé?
It means to publish someone else’s work. Someone not employed by the Times has researched and written a story and they will publish it on the writer’s behalf.
That makes sense, thank you.
Could they dodge editorial responsibility this way?
One could imagine a clever way of taking credit if whatever the story is pans out, or playing the victim if it's bogus. I guess it all depends on the way they present the exposé (if they publish it all).