Popular Media , Biotechnology , and the “ Cycle of Hype ”

There is growing concern about the potential adverse social implications of stories in the popular press that inappropriately “hype” biotechnology.1 This concern is understandable. The media has emerged as an important, perhaps the most important, vehicle for communicating science issues to the general public. Moreover, the media can play a critical role in public debates about controversial technologies, such as human genetics and stem cell research.2 This article will draw together the available evidence and relevant commentary about popular representations of biotechnology, particularly as it appears in the popular press, to consider its possible impact on public understanding.3 This will illustrate that although the media is a primary conduit of scientific information, the message conveyed by the media is shaped by a variety of social forces, such as commercial pressure. These social forces create a particular spin on popular representations of biotechnology, which