Following a Columbia Journalism Review article on whether science journalists should accept money from corporate interests and whether there is adequate disclosure of sources' corporate ties and conflicts of interest, U.S. Right to Know reviewed recent articles to assess how often journalists and columnists quote academic sources without stating that they are funded by the agrichemical giant Monsanto.
Our review found 27 articles quoting (or authored by) university professors after they received Monsanto funding, but without disclosing that funding.
This is a collapse of journalistic standards. When reporters quote sources about food issues such as GMOs or organic food, readers deserve to know if the sources have been funded by Monsanto or have other conflicts of interest.
The principal effect of failing to reveal these conflicts of interest is to unfairly enhance the credibility of Monsanto-funded academics and their support of GMOs and criticism of organic food, while detracting from the credibility of consumer advocates.
Our review found that many top media outlets quoted either University of Florida Professor Kevin Folta or University of Illinois Professor Emeritus Bruce Chassy without disclosing that the professors received funding from Monsanto. According to documents published by the New York Times, Professor Folta received Monsanto funding in August 2014 and Professor Chassy in October 2011, if not before.
Many of these journalistic failures occurred at influential news outlets: newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune; science publications such as Nature, Science Insider and Discover; magazines such as the New Yorker, Wired and The Atlantic; as well as broadcast outlets like ABC and NPR.
Following is a list of news articles quoting (or authored by) Professors Folta and Chassy—after they received their Monsanto funding—but failing to disclose that they had received the Monsanto funding.
- New York Times: "Taking on the Food Industry, One Blog Post at a Time." By Courtney Rubin, March 13. (Also ran in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune).
- New York Times: "Foes of Modified Corn Find Support in a Study." By Andrew Pollack, Sept. 19, 2012.
- Washington Post: "Kraft Mac & Cheese Just Got Duller. You Can Thank (Or Blame) 'The Food Babe'." By Michael E. Miller, April 21. (Also ran in the Chicago Tribune).
- Washington Post: "Proof He's the Science Guy: Bill Nye Is Changing His Mind About GMOs." By Puneet Kollipara, March 3.
- Nature: "GM-Crop Opponents Expand Probe Into Ties Between Scientists and Industry." By Keith Kloor, Aug. 6.
- NPR: "Is The Food Babe A Fearmonger? Scientists Are Speaking Out." By Maria Godoy, Feb. 10.
- New Yorker: "The Operator." By Michael Specter, Feb. 4, 2013.
- The Atlantic: "The Food Babe: Enemy of Chemicals." By James Hamblin, Feb. 11.
- Wired: "Anti-GMO Activist Seeks to Expose Scientists Emails with Big Ag." By Alan Levinovitz, Feb. 23.
- ABC News: "Scientists Developing Hypo-Allergenic Apples." By Gillian Mohney, March 22, 2013.
- Science Insider: "Agricultural Researchers Rattled by Demands for Documents from Group Opposed to GM Foods." By Keith Kloor, Feb. 11.
- Columbia Journalism Review: "Why Scientists Often Hate Records Requests." By Anna Clark, Feb. 25.
- Discover: "Open Letter to Bill Nye from a Plant Scientist." By Keith Kloor, Nov. 10, 2014.
- Discover: "How to Balance Transparency with Academic Freedom?" By Keith Kloor, Feb. 27.
- Discover: "Anti-GMO Group Seeks Emails from University Scientists." By Keith Kloor, Feb. 11.
- Forbes: "Zombie Retracted Séralini GMO Maize Rat Study Republished To Hostile Scientist Reactions." By Jon Entine, June 24, 2014.
- Forbes: "Did The New Yorker Botch Puff Piece On Frog Scientist Tyrone Hayes, Turning Rogue into Beleaguered Hero?" By Jon Entine, March 10, 2014.
- Forbes: "You Can Put Lipstick On A Pig (Study), But It Still Stinks." By Bruce M. Chassy and Henry I. Miller, July 17, 2013.
- Forbes: "Anti-GMO Scientist Gilles-Eric Seralini, Activist Jeffrey Smith Withdraw from Food Biotech Debate." By Jon Entine, May 29, 2013.
- Forbes: "Malpractice On Dr. Oz: Pop Health Expert Hosts Anti-GM Food Rant; Scientists Push Back." By Jon Entine, Oct. 19, 2012.
- Forbes: "Scientists Smell a Rat In Fraudulent Genetic Engineering Study." By Henry I. Miller and Bruce Chassy, Sept. 25, 2012.
- Forbes: "The Science of Things That Aren't So." By Bruce Chassy and Henry I. Miller, Feb. 22, 2012.
- Des Moines Register: "Consumers Are Misled About Organic Safety." By John Block, Oct. 10, 2014.
- Gainesville Sun: "Genetically Modified Foods Face Hurdles." By Jeff Schweers, June 29, 2014.
- Peoria Journal Star: "Hybrid Crops That Used to Offer Resistance to Rootworm No Match for Mother Nature." By Steve Tarter, June 21, 2014.
- Gawker: "The 'Food Babe' Blogger Is Full of Shit." By Yvette d'Entremont, April 6.
- Louis Post-Dispatch: "California Labeling Fight May Raise Food Prices for All of Us." By David Nicklaus, Aug. 19, 2012.
This is merely one example of two professors who were not identified as received funding from Monsanto and yet these two professors received major traction in the media as “independent" experts on GMOs and organics. The only reason the professors admitted to receiving Monsanto funding was due to emails uncovered by Freedom of Information Act requests filed by U.S. Right to Know, a consumer group.
How often does it happen that journalists present other academics funded by food or agrichemical companies as “independent" sources and without disclosing their corporate funding?
One remedy for this problem is that when journalists write about food, that they carefully ask their sources whether they have any conflicts of interest, where they get their funding from and whether they receive any funding from food or agrichemical companies like Monsanto or their PR front groups.
That, however, may not be enough. Professor Kevin Folta received Monsanto funding, yet repeatedly denied ties to or funding from Monsanto. Reporters—and readers—should be aware that such deceit by Monsanto-funded academics has recently occurred and be on their guard against it.
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Here are three new films to watch this Earth Week that will transport you from pole to pole and introduce you to the scientists and activists working to save our shared home.
1. The Year Earth Changed
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
When to Watch: From April 16
The coronavirus pandemic has brought home the stakes of humanity's impact on the environment. But the lockdowns also proved how quickly nature can recover when humans give it the space. Birds sang in empty cities, whales surfaced in Glacier Bay and capybara roamed the South American suburbs.
The Year Earth Changed captures this unique year with footage from more than 30 lockdowned cities between May 2020 to January 2021. Narrated by renowned wildlife broadcaster David Attenborough, the film explores what positive lessons we can take from the experience of a quieter, less trafficked world.
"What the film shows is that the natural world can bounce back remarkably quickly when we take a step back and reduce our impact as we did during lockdown," executive producer Alice Keens-Soper of BBC Studios Natural History Unit told EcoWatch. "If we are willing to make even small changes to our habits, the natural world can flourish. We need to learn how to co-exist with nature and understand that we are not separate from it- for example if we closed some of our beaches at for a few weeks during the turtle breeding we see that it can make a huge difference to their success. There are many ways that we can adapt our behavior to allow the natural world to thrive as it did in lockdown."
2. After Antarctica
Where to Watch: San Francisco International Film Festival
When to Watch: 12 a.m. PST April 9 to 11:59 p.m. April 18
In 1989, Will Steger led an international team of six scientists and explorers to be the first humans to cross Antarctica by dogsled. Steger and his team weren't just in it for the adventure. They also wanted to draw attention to the ways in which the climate crisis was already transforming the icy continent and to rally support for the renewal of the Antarctic Treaty, which would keep the continent safe from extractive industries.
In After Antarctica, award-winning filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt follows Steger 30 years later as he travels the Arctic this time, reflecting on his original journey and once again bringing awareness to changes in a polar landscape. The film intersperses this contemporary journey with footage from the original expedition, some of which has never been seen before.
"Will's life journey as an explorer and climate activist has led him not only to see more of the polar world than anyone else alive today, but to being an eyewitness to the changes occurring across both poles," Van Zandt told EcoWatch. "But now, these changes are happening in all of our own backyards and we have all become eyewitnesses. Through my journey with Will, I have learned that although we cannot always control change, we can change our response. I feel strongly that this is a message that resonates when we look at the current state of the world, as we each have power and control over how we choose to respond to hardships, and we all have the power to unite with others through collective action around a common goal."
After Antarctica is available to stream once you purchase a ticket to the San Francisco International Film Festival. If you miss it this weekend, it will screen again at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival from May 13 to May 23.
Tasha Van Zandt
3. The Race to Save the World
Where to Watch: Virtual Cinema
When to Watch: From Earth Day, April 22
While many films about the climate crisis seek to raise awareness about the extent of the problem, The Race to Save the World focuses on the people who are trying to stop it. The film tells the story of climate activists ranging from 15-year-old Aji to 72-year-old Miriam who are working to create a sustainable future. It follows them from the streets to the courtroom to their homes, and explores the impact of their advocacy on their personal lives and relationships.
Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker Joe Gantz told EcoWatch that he wanted to make a film about climate change, but did not want to depress viewers with overwhelming statistics. Instead, he chose to inspire them by sharing the stories of people trying to make a difference.
"Unless millions of people take to the streets and make their voices heard for a livable future, the politicians are not going to get on board to help make the changes needed for a sustainable future," Gantz told Ecowatch. "I think that The Race To Save The World will energize and inspire people to take action so that future generations, as well as the plants, animals and ecosystems, can survive and thrive on this planet."
Check back with EcoWatch on the morning of Earth Day for a special preview of this inspiring film!