MEDIA WATCH
The prerequisite for democracy is an informed electorate. When the media only provide one side of the story, citizens are deprived of their ability to decide on important issues. If you spot biased GM coverage in the Irish media, please complain to them and contact us.
14 September 2004. Conflict of interest at The Irish Times
The Irish Times is owned by the Irish Times Trust. The Trust is headed by David McConnell, who also happens to be Co-Chair of the biotech lobby group EAGLES – European Action on Global Life Sciences (www.efb-eagles.org), which is funded by the European Federation of Biotechnology. Chaired by former World Bank Vice-president Dr. Serageldin, EAGLES perpetuates the biotech industry myth that GM technology will end world hunger and "solve the problems of illness, starvation and environmental degradation". EAGLES used its supposed concern for such humanitarian caused to seek EC funding from taxpayers in 2003. The request was turned down but EAGLES is applying for EC support once again.
David McConnell is also Professor of Genetics at the TCD Smurfit Institute of Genetics (which also receives major funding by the biotech industry). Known by the nickname God by TCD students who allege he has a dogmatic personality, Prof. McConnell is widely regarded as a hard-line GM fundamentalist who is prone to deny the existence of any scientific evidence of GM risks.
Although the Irish Times denies any editorial policy control by the Irih Times Trust, this conflict of interest may explain why Ireland's "newspaper of record" gives minimal coverage to the GM debate and why its rare articles on GM issues normally deny the existence or downplay the abundant scientific evidence of GM health and environmental risks.
8 September 2004. Biased coverage on RTE News
The lead story on RTE television's main evening news was on the EC's legalisation of 17 varieties of Monsanto's GM maize. The story featured soundbites from Monsanto Ireland CEO Dr. Barry O'Reilly without questioning his false assertion that no-one has ever suffered health problems from eating GM food (almost 100 people died and five to ten thousand got sick from the genetically engineered L-Tryptophan food supplement in the USA). RTE's story also included a soundbite from EC Health and Consumer Affairs Commissioner David Byrne without questioning him in any way about his failure to pass legislation on the same day that would have allowed widespread GM contamination of Europe's agricultural seeds. The story then included a segment focussing on organic farmer Marc Michell and a soundbite from a much longer interview with Michael O'Callaghan of GM-free Ireland. But the anchorwoman misrepresented this organisation as "an umbrella group for organic farmers", thus giving a misleading impression of our much broader membership (which includes many groups such An Taisce, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association, the Irish Doctor's Environmental Association, the Irish Seed Savers Association Irish Farmers Markets, the Restaurants Association of Ireland, the country's leading chefs, NGOs and consumers).
