Kevin Folta: ‘Berkeley 45’ has opportunity to rethink ‘activist aided’ attack on Food Evolution movie

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[Editor’s note: Kevin Folta is a molecular biologist and chair of the horticultural sciences department at the University of Florida.]

The release of the documentary Food Evolution was lauded by scientists and folks in agriculture….  But the film’s release did not sit well with everyone.

One group of 45 faculty and students, most at UC Berkeley, were held up as “experts” that claimed the film to simply be a “slick piece of agrichemical industry propaganda”….

Outside activist influence steered academic opinion to create and endorse a document that defames public researchers for their ancient careers and makes claims counter to the National Academy of Science.  Academics lent their credibility and institution’s gravitas to support false, misleading statements about science. Outside activist influence steered academic opinion to create and endorse a document that defames public researchers for their ancient careers and makes claims counter to the National Academy of Science. Academics lent their credibility and institution’s gravitas to support false, misleading statements about science.

[Editor’s note: Read the article that revealed activist influence on the letter.]

The best immediate fix is for individuals caught in this mess to recant their endorsement.

And of course, you are still invited to the podcast. Science is about self-policing and correction. That’s how we grow as a discipline. Correcting this matter would be a good first step.  Rescind the Berkeley 45 letter and let’s start a more productive dialog.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post: Fixing The Tragic Mess of the Berkeley 45

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