Presentation at the November 2012 dialogue workshop of the Biosciences for Farming in Africa media fellowship programme in Arusha, Tanzania. Please see www.sti4d.com/b4fa for more information

1. M
Beyond phony
balance
A little knowledge can go a long way in terms of
evaluating claims.
Sharon Schmickle
B4FA Media Fellowships
October-November 2012

2. 1side + 1side = Confusion
Is cigarette smoking harmful to health?
Yes
No
Maybe
Maybe not
All of the above

4. Example from crop genetics
The claim: GMOs cause mysterious and
dangerous allergies.
One side: Yes
Other side: No
Reader/viewer: Torn between the two.

5. Not so mysterious after all
Experts were available to explain the nature of
allergens.
Journalists who bothered to find them became the
front runners in coverage of the story.

6. In a nutshell
A new gene often prompts the plant to produce a
new protein. (Not always; sometimes an existing
gene simply is switched on or off.)
A protein causes an allergic reaction under certain
conditions that depend on the form of the protein
and the sensitivity of the consumer.
A particular protein can and should be analyzed
before the GM plant is approved for release.

7. Bottom line
It was inaccurate to say that all GM foods were
potential allergy bombs.

8. End of story? No.
Journalists still want to ask regulators whether a
new GM plant has been analyzed as a potential
allergen.

9. Key point
Check it out