Detecting Under the Microscope: Nighthawks in Costa Rica and in Wikipedia

From the Costa Rica Star:

Looting of antiquities by real-life tomb raiders (nighthawkers in the United Kingdom) has always been a problem for researchers working in Costa Rica.

I wonder whether the journalist appreciates the difference between one group of guys who go out with metal detectors to hoik collectables out of the archaeological record for profit and fun and another group of guys who go out with metal detectors to hoik collectables out of the archaeological record for profit and fun. Certainly the effect on the archaeological record is the same. But follow through the link from Costa Rica. it goes to a Wikipedia page obviously written by the Great Unwashed with no PAS "outreachy" involvement (so much for engagement with the public through digital media, more on that later).

Nighthawkers (sic) are considered to be separate from law-abiding metal detectorists[4], as they do not follow the codes of practice laid out by such hobbyist groups as The National Council for Metal Detecting[5] or the Federation of Independent Detectorists[6]. [...] Despite the difference between the two groups, nighthawking has had a detrimental effect on the reputation of legitimate metal detectors (sic).

The WHICH codes? Which Code does this (the People's Encyclopedia), omit to mention? Does missing out mention of the Real Code of Practice means the people who wrote this text are "legitimate" metal detectorists themselves?


Jaime Lopez, 'French Authorities Return Stolen Pre-Columbian Artifacts to Costa Rica', Costa Rica Star, May 17, 2012.

Autorkollektiv, 'Nighthawking' Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, accessed 17th May 2012