ABSTRACT
Due to the uncertainty of risk and the high technical threshold of understanding risk, expert perceptions and communication of risk and its hazards are critical to public interpretations of it. For controversial topics such as genetic modification (GM) technology, opinions expressed by experts and the media play a decisive role in guiding public opinion. Drawing on content analysis of expert sources cited in newspaper reports on genetic modification technology in the People’s Daily, Science and Technology Daily, and Southern Metropolis News, in this chapter we find that the media reports on GM technology rely heavily on expert sources, and portray attitudes toward GM technology that are consistent with the expert views they present. The media seldom illustrates the disputes on this topic among experts themselves, or between experts and the public. Therefore, we must critically re-examine the “scientific and technological paradigm,” which emphasizes professional knowledge and professional authority in risk communication. We call for the adoption of the “democratic model” of risk communication, characterized by the elimination of knowledge monopolization, and advocate the transparency of decision-making structures.
