Errors and Quality Decline Caused by Outsourcing NHK Science Programs: On Flower Petals and Fibonacci Numbers

This paper critically examines the structural decline in the quality of public science broadcasting in Japan, specifically focusing on a program aired by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) that propagated the scientific myth that the number of flower petals is strictly determined by Fibonacci numbers. Through extensive statistical observation of flower varieties (such as *Senetti* and *Marguerite*) and rigorous literature review, we demonstrate that natural variation in petal numbers is common, and the dogmatic assertion of a universal Fibonacci rule is factually incorrect. Furthermore, we reveal that the program misapplied and distorted findings from a prominent international paper (Zhang et al., 2021) regarding "bract primordia" by falsely framing it as proof for petal counts. This study argues that the root cause of such scientific misinformation lies in the structural outsourcing and commercialization of program production, which severely undermines fact-checking mechanisms and scientific literacy. To preserve scientific integrity, media organizations must reconstruct robust verification systems rather than deflecting accountability through outsourcing.