ABSTRACT
The concept of social amplification of risk suggests that some risks become socially amplified, or exaggerated, as relevant information travels through society, sometimes propelled by attention from prominent institutions such as the news media, while other risks are attenuated, receiving little attention. The technology available may be up to the challenge, but more than goodwill and sound science are necessary to realize that potential. Present applications of agricultural biotechnology, for example, are heavily concentrated in the production of only a few crops grown on very large scales. Philosophers are interested in what nonphilosophers take ethical conduct to require, and real-life situations can plunge people into quandaries where thinking critically is the only way to behave ethically. Media have considerable power to contribute to informed public debate, even to set the agenda for that debate, but they do not fully determine the direction that debate will take, new media environment.
