When we look at the mainstream media, we can sometimes see different authors squaring off against each-other; e.g. over climate change, or biotechnology, or other contentious issues. But we rarely see direct criticism of research results by journalists per se, unless they are writing for obviously partisan publications, such as those that object to genetically engineered crops, or nuclear power, and so on.However, a few years ago, there was an amazing case in Japan of the very public disgrace of a very active amateur archaeologist called Fujimura who for many years had been pushing back the dates of earliest human occupation (in leaps and bounds of 100,000 years or so) with astounding discoveries of stone tools.Curiously, despite some murmurings of doubt among academic archaeologists, he was not strongly challenged in academic journals until a crew of enterprising TV journalists caught wind of the matter.Fujimura typically invited journalists to his sites to observe excavations, and would make his discoveries while they were present. After such one such invitation, the crew went to the site early on the morning before the scheduled visit and secretly filmed Fujimura planting stone artefacts (genuine artefacts from a different context) and burying them, and then later filmed him making his discovery. They then told him what they had done, and gave him a chance to speak before going public.After the scandal unfolded, a lot soul-searching took place among the professional archaeologists who had supported the work of Fujimura. The man himself went into hiding, but was not criminally charged, as far as I know, despite his mis-use of cultural relics, and the costs incurred to publishers who had to remove and revise textbooks that had incorporated his claims.Well, enough of my own memories; please see
Shoh Yamada's review of what happened .Hope this helps, P.
