Seeds of discontent: Expert opinion, mass media messages, and the public image of agricultural biotechnology

Survey data are presented on opinions about agricultural biotechnology and its applications held by agricultural science faculty at highly ranked prog rams in the United States with and without personal involvement in biotechn ology-oriented research. Respondents believed biotech holds much promise, b ut policy positions vary. These results underscore the relationship between opinion and stakeholder interests in this research, even among scientific experts. Media accounts are often seen as causes, rather than artifacts, of the existence of public controversy; European and now U.S. opposition to f ood biotechnology is often explained away in terms of such a relationship. The authors argue that where evert experts are divided, public opposition c annot reasonably be attributed to pool public understanding or sensationali stic media accounts. Ethical implications for communicating science are exp lored.