A Grain of Truth The Media, the Public, and Biotechnology

by Priest, Susanna Hornig

• ISBN13: 9780742509481
• ISBN10: 0742509486
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-06
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

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. 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.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Introduction	1	(16)
Institutional Hegemony	5	(2)
Science and ``Objectivity''	7	(5)
Cultural Context	12	(2)
Mass Media and Public Life	14	(3)
Reinventing Milk	17	(18)
The Early Campaign	21	(6)
Cultural Motifs	27	(3)
Institutional Interest and Public Response	30	(5)
World Reaction	35	(16)
Press and Public Opinion in the West	37	(3)
World Press Issues	40	(2)
Trade Negotiations and ``Third World'' Issues	42	(2)
India: A Case Study	44	(3)
International News and Corporate Interest	47	(4)
U.S. Public Opinion Emerges	51	(18)
Assessing Public Response	52	(5)
U.S. Public Opinion and the Polls	57	(4)
Science Literacy and Biotechnology	61	(3)
Perceptions of Technological Risk	64	(5)
U.S. Culture and the New Genetics	69	(16)
Culture and Biological Boundaries	71	(3)
Genetics as Nature and Fate	74	(3)
Culture, Media, and Class	77	(3)
Individualism and the Genetic Revolution	80	(2)
Risk, Technology, and Democracy	82	(3)
The Labeling Controversy and Public Perceptions of Risk	85	(12)
Labeling and the Risk Agenda	86	(4)
Labeling and Risk Displacement	90	(2)
Labels and Public Relations	92	(3)
Labeling and Democratic Theory	95	(2)
The Cloning Story	97	(14)
Cloning and Science Journalism	100	(3)
Cloning as a Cultural Phenomenon	103	(4)
Cloning and Institutional Interest	107	(4)
The Terminator Gene	111	(14)
Technology and Corporate Strategy	113	(4)
Breaking into Print	117	(1)
Alternative Accounts	118	(3)
Prospects and Perceptions	121	(4)
Lessons and Directions	125	(4)
References	129	(6)
Index	135	(6)
About the Author	141