There was a similar phenomenon in the early days of agbiotech activism. Any professor that published results unfavorable to, say, Monsanto would be instantly lionized in the NGO community as a godlike figure, to only be spoken of in reverential tones. I was always alienated by that. I though, WTF, these guys are just doing what they are supposed to do, they are publishing their results and doing so without suppressing data that might offend potential funders (or not publishing the "wrong' result altogether). That makes them, what? Heroes? Nah, I don't think so. That just makes them honest. Good for them, I wished them well, but you don't get two gold stars, a marble pedestal, and a fan club for simply doing the right thing.