Viewpoint: GMO and gene edited agricultural solutions will never gain traction if journalists continue to carry water for anti-biotechnology disinformation

Citizens’ “vague sense of unease” about genetically modified (GM) crops and genome-edited foods will never be alleviated. Why? The main reason for this is likely to be the structure of reporting that emphasizes citizens and the behavioral principles of reporters. However, with the advent of the Internet, which allows anyone to send information, this structure is beginning to shake.

I would like to give an example of an article that leaves an impression of anxiety. An article in the Mainichi Shimbun dated April 20, 2019, headlined “Stop ‘genome-edited puffer fish.’ Miyazu hometown tax return gift Co-op Natural Kyoto Requests City”.

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It would be good to report the movements of the citizens’ movement itself. The problem is inside. In the article,

“The safety of genome-edited food has not been confirmed”

“What kind of impact will it have if we continue to eat genome-edited food? Insufficient verification”

“I feel uncomfortable with Miyazu’s wonderful seafood and genome-edited ’22nd century blowfish'”

“No one in the world knows whether genome-edited food is safe. Moreover, there is no labeling obligation. This is the current situation, and as a parent with a child, I have no worries.”

In short, the article is filled with only the voices of the opposition.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here

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