Investigative journalist Jack Anderson followed up on Highwater in 1984, revealing the inconsistencies in the writer's biography and ultimately, his pose. His column, "A Fabricated Indian?", was published in "The Washington Post". Following the major exposé by Anderson, Highwater stopped claiming Cherokee heritage in his promotional literature. But he continued to take advantage of having become publicly established as an "Indian" figure. When questioned by Anderson about why he had assumed a Cherokee identity, Highwater said that he had thought he could not break into the writing world otherwise.