Conversation so far:
What controversy was Margaret Mead involved with?
There was a controversy over whether Mead's conclusions from her research in Samoa were valid.
How was the Margaret Mead Samoa controversy taken?
On the whole, anthropologists have rejected the notion that Mead's conclusions rested on the validity of a single interview with a single person.
How did the public react to the Margaret Mead scandal?
Mead's reputation and significance as an anthropologist have not been diminished by Freeman's criticisms.

Question: How did the public react to the scandal?
Self-contained rewrite: How did the public react to the Margaret Mead scandal?