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Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS) U.S. Media Opinion Pages Present Biased View of Biotech Thirteen of the largest newspapers and magazines in the United States have all but shut out criticism of genetically engineered (GE) food and crops from their opinion pages, according to a new report by Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy. The report, Biotech Bias on the Editorial and Opinion Pages of Major United States Newspapers and News Magazines, found an overwhelming bias in favor of GE foods not only on editorial pages, but also on op-ed pages, a forum usually reserved for a variety of opinions. In fact, the report found that some newspapers surveyed did not publish a single critical op-ed on GE foods and crops, while publishing several in support. “It is a great disservice to the American public when the media filters out critical viewpoints on issues that are central to our times,” said Anuradha Mittal, co-director of Food First/The Institute for Food and Development Policy. “This is an issue where there is significant difference of opinion among both scientists and the general public,” she said, “and those differences must be represented in the media if the public is to be able to exercise its democratic right to make informed decisions about new technologies.” The report investigated 11 newspapers and three weekly news magazines between September 1999 and August 2001. Out of 40 op-eds, 31 supported GE foods and crops while only seven were critical. Two op-eds argued for labeling of GE foods. Newspaper editorials were united in supporting GE foods and crops and only diverged on the issue of labeling. The report found that the arguments presented in support of GE crops could be grouped into several general categories:
The report points out that these are essentially the same arguments used by the biotechnology industry in their advertising campaigns, and that there is an overwhelming lack of attention to widely expressed doubts concerning these arguments. Such concerns include:
(Summaries of these arguments may be found at: http://www.foodfirst.org/progs/global/ge/ and http://www.panna.org/resources/geTutorial.html ) The papers surveyed were: The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Houston Chronicle, Newsday (New York), The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. The weekly news magazines were Time, Newsweek, and The Economist. The report is based on searches conducted on the Nexis database using the search term “bioengineered foods or genetically modified foods or genetically engineered foods or biotechnology.” The findings were reduced to “editorial or op-ed or opinion or commentary.” An HTML copy of the report can be found at: http://www.foodfirst.org/media/press/2002/biotechbiasreport.html. A PDF version can be found at: http://www.foodfirst.org/media/press/2002/biotechbiasreport.pdf. Source/contact: Food First/Institute for Food and Development Policy, 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618; phone (510) 654-4400; fax (510) 654-4551; email foodfirst@foodfirst.org; Web site http://www.foodfirst.org/. PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing resource guides and reporting on pesticide issues that don’t always get coverage by the mainstream media. It’s produced by Pesticide Action Network North America, a non-profit and non-governmental organization working to advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide. You can join our efforts! We gladly accept donations for our work and all contributions are tax deductible in the United States. Visit http://www.panna.org/donate. |
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