Toward a More Nuanced Science Journalism
By Gina Maranto, Biopolitical Times guest contributor
| 05. 29. 2011
Last week, Chicago Tribune reporter Monica Eng wrote about the latest chapter in the debate over genetically modified foods: their unavoidable creep into spaces and places assumed to be GM-free. Eng's counterintuitive lede describes anti-GMO protestors improbably marching outside a Whole Foods – a sign of just how bad the situation has gotten, when even purveyors of organics can't guarantee untainted fare.
The online version features several sobering visuals: a graph showing the disquieting rise in GM soy and corn production over the last decade (such plants now represent 93% and 86% of the US harvest, respectively); a map highlighting states currently deliberating policies to label GM foods; a table listing some of the 40 countries that currently require such labeling. Eng summarizes the industry and environmental health arguments, provides the obligatory pro and con quotations, refers to a couple key surveys of public attitudes about GMOs, mentions some recent epidemiological work, and ends with a boilerplate statement from Monsanto proclaiming the utter adequacy of the status quo ante to ensure "food safety" as supported by "satisfied" experts in...
Related Articles
By Diaa Hadid and Shweta Desai, NPR | 01.29.2026
MUMBRA, India — The afternoon sun shines on the woman in a commuter-town café, highlighting her almond-shaped eyes and pale skin, a look often sought after by couples who need an egg to have a baby.
"I have good eggs,"...
By George Janes, BioNews | 01.12.2026
A heart attack patient has become the first person to be treated in a clinical trial of an experimental gene therapy, which aims to strengthen blood vessels after coronary bypass surgery.
Coronary artery bypass surgery is performed to treat...
By Staff, ScienceDaily | 01.05.2026
Scientists at UNSW Sydney have developed a new form of CRISPR technology that could make gene therapy safer while also resolving a decades-long debate about how genes are switched off. The research shows that small chemical markers attached to DNA
...
Following a long-standing CGS tradition, we present a selection of our favorite Biopolitical Times posts of the past year.
In 2025, we published up to four posts every month, written by 12 authors (staff, consultants and allies), some in collaboration and one simply credited to CGS.
These titles are presented in chronological order, except for three In Memoriam notices, which follow. Many more posts that are worth your time can be found in the archive. Scroll down and “VIEW...
