The war against agricultural biotechnology shifted in the last several years. Carefully constructed steps by those opposed to technology have managed to malign a relatively innocuous compound– the herbicide glyphosate. The compound is used in many applications, from GE crops to drying down some grains prior to harvest. Armed with analytical chemistry, activist groups claim to detect glyphosate everywhere, of course in minuscule amounts. But when those amounts are not zero, it provides a means to stoke fear and drive policy change. It is amazing to watch what is happening around glyphosate, a compound with a long regulatory history and years of safe use. The way that activists attain their goals is by manipulating the media, organizations that are willing to tell any story that can raise fear. Children being poisoned by breakfast cereal is just the ticket. But are they being honest? In this week’s 5th Anniversary podcast I dissect a recent CBS Television News story on the subject. Do they get it right?
