Genotype or Geno-hype?
Winnipeg, Manitoba, May 19, 2004

Are the stories we read about the science of genetics and biotechnology accurate?

Can members of the public make informed choices based on what they learn from these stories? There is a problem with the perception of accuracy in the popular press, and this is said to be most prominent with stories about science. Is it the nature of media-people themselves or the people they interview?

Timothy Caulfield says that studies he's done show that most articles are accurate. That said, there are varying degrees of accuracy depending on the specific subject and the story-angle. "The overwhelming majority of articles are surprisingly accurate. However, newspaper editors and the public in general have difficulty handling the concepts of risk and cost."

Véronique Morin says that journalists are intelligent people driven by curiosity and doubt. However, they're usually people who aren't comfortable within the culture of science. As a result, they feel out of place reporting on it. "Most journalists have a formal education in literature, political science or the social sciences. In many cases, journalists hate science, so the marriage doesn't really go naturally."

Alexandra Paul suggests that the media really does the best it can and it might not be as bad as some critics maintain. In many cases, it's not just the reporters who are at fault for the quality of coverage. "These are some of the issues that newspapers are trying to grapple with. We may do it better than some people think. In the end though, it's all based on what people tell us."