A Grain of Truth: The Media, the Public, and Biotechnology / Edition 1

by Susanna Hornig Priest

Overview

A Grain of Truth debunks the myth that growing public distrust of genetically modified organisms can be attributed to scientific illiteracy or sensationalistic news stories. Media coverage of these issues has been dominated by the spokespersons of industry—yet evidence of consumer uncertainty has been available all along. The roots of the controversy are visible in press coverage and public opinion polls over the past decade, covering everything from the manufacture of growth hormones used in dairy cows through the cloning of Dolly the sheep to the appearance of the so-called "terminator gene." Arguing neither for nor against genetic engineering and other forms of biotechnology, this book charges both media and industry with ignoring the concerns of the general public and encourages greater public debate over biotech and other such complex issues.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742509481
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/06/2000
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	154
Product dimensions:	5.74(w) x 9.04(h) x 0.47(d)

About the Author

Susanna Hornig Priest is associate professor of journalism at Texas A&M University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Reinventing Milk Chapter 3 World Reaction Chapter 4 U.S. Public Opinion Emerges Chapter 5 U.S. Culture and the New Genetics Chapter 6 The Labeling Controversy and Public Perceptions of Risk Chapter 7 The Cloning Story Chapter 8 The Terminator Gene Chapter 9 Lessons and Directions

Editorial Reviews

Both critics and boosters of biotechnology oversell the media's ability to shape public opinion about biotechnology for good and for ill. This book explains why, and it provides a perceptive analysis—richly illustrated with empirical data and case studies—of how reporters and editors identify sources and frame stories on controversial science. A Grain of Truth is a must-read.

Paul B. Thompson

In this carefully crafted analysis, Priest challenges the widespread but simplistic views about the mass media and the public in debates about biotechnology. She provides ample evidence that the public are neither as gullible nor as ignorant as some would have us believe and points the way toward more thoughtful democratic public debate on such issues. Those concerned about biotechnology, the media, or democratic discourse would do well to read this volume.

Lawrence Busch

Susanna Hornig Priest brings both intellect and passion to a complex topic. It is tempting to miscast the role of the mass media in contentious issues such as biotechnology, but this book keeps that influence in its proper perspective.

Sharon Dunwoody

Susanna Hornig Priest has written a careful and useful study of the relationship between media messages, cultural and social conditions, and the formation of public opinion.

Political Communication

[Milne] is a palynotologist with all the essential credentials, but she is also a gifted writer able to write for a mystery-reading audience in a manner that keeps the excitement level flowing while paying close attention to the small but critical details.

From the Publisher

There are important messages for all involved in science, public policy, and mass communication, as well as the reader, listener, and viewer. This book must be read by scientists and journalists alike.

Agriculture and Human Values

Susanna Hornig Priest presents a dispassionate and well-argued analysis of the notable contrast between the United States and Europe in the public reception of modern biotechnologies. This significant and important book will be of interest to many audiences concerned with the relations among science, the media, and public opinion in contemporary society.

George Gaskell