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A Weblog monitoring coverage of environmental issues and science in the UK media. By Professor Emeritus Philip Stott. The aim is to assess whether a subject is being fairly covered by press, radio, and television. Above all, the Weblog will focus on science, but not just on poor science. It will also bring to public notice good science that is being ignored because it may be politically inconvenient.

Thursday, October 16, 2003

The Guardian hits a low point even for.....

Away from the discussion of the Farm Scale Evaluations of GM crops (see post below), it should not go unrecorded that The Guardian today hit a low point even for The Guardian. Its comment piece, entitled Innocents abroad?, is an extraordinary and quite gratuitous attack on the Gates Foundation, which has had the audacity to believe that there might be some benefit for the poor in developing GM agriculture (Bill Gates has donated $25m to fund GM research). The comment ends with a spectacular piece of patronising twaddle:

"Bill Gates's foundation appears the innocent newcomer to the mucky world of global malnutrition and food security. The trouble may be that his foundation's increasing influence on the world stage makes it a prime target for those who have an agenda well beyond the public good."

Well, well! The Guardian should know, shouldn't it? I say, "Great to see you trying to help, Bill, and thanks for placing some hope in science rather than in self-righteous trendy conspiracy theorists who really know how to thrash about in the 'mucky world'." And when did a journalist ever do a Norman Borlaug for humanity? Philip.


[New counter, June 19, 2006, with loss of some data]


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