8 p., What do journalists think about information source trustworthiness, bias, and fairness in communicating agricultural biotechnology issues? Fifty Texas journalists and 40 national agriculture journalists representing newspapers and television media responded to this study. Journalists believed university scientists/researchers and newspapers were trustworthy, unbiased, and fair, while activist groups were untrustworthy, completely biased, and unfair in communicating agricultural biotechnology issues. They were most opposed to public opinion outweighing scientists' opinions when making decisions about scientific research. A substantial positive correlation occurred between national agriculture journalists' attitudes toward democratic processes in science (i.e., the extent that public opinion is considered in scientific decision-making processes) and trust in newspapers.
Cites journalism educator Don Ranley who urges maintaining the wall between editorial and advertising, in the interest of reader credibility. "I am not a businessman, but it has to be good business to be trusted."
Hopke, Scott D. (author), Otto, Justin F. (author), and Shellabarger, Jacob W. (author)
Format:
Research report
Publication Date:
2004-05
Published:
USA
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 147 Document Number: C23496
Notes:
Agricultural journalism class project, University of Missouri, Columbia. 28 pages., Results of an e-mail survey among alumni of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Missouri. Respondents suggested increased coverage of agricultural issues, more reporter training on agricultural issues, hiring reporters with agricultural background to cover agricultural issues, and increased quality and depth of coverage of agricultural issues.
Lofstedt, Ragnar (author) and AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies
Format:
Paper
Publication Date:
2004-04
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 152 Document Number: C24602
Notes:
Retrieved August 1, 2006, Working Paper 04-10. 18 pages., Describes a new model of regulatory decision making - more inclusive, transparent, environmentally accountable, socially accountably and inclined to view scientists as "just another stakeholder."
Stern, Marc J. (author) and World Conservation Union (IUCN), International Union for Conservation and Natural Resources.
Format:
Proceedings
Publication Date:
2003-09-07
Published:
International
Location:
Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, Funk Library, University of Illinois Box: 154 Document Number: C24927
Notes:
Chapter 5 in Denise Hamu, Elisabeth Auchincloss and Wendy Goldstein (eds.), Communicating protected areas. Presented to the Vth IUCN World Parks Congress, Durban, South Africa, September 8-17, 2003.
