How Monsanto Mobilized Academics to Pen Articles Supporting GMOs
- Monsanto proposed series of articles in e-mail to scientists
- Articles appeared on website of nonprofit group in December
A researcher collects leaf samples at a Monsanto facility in Chesterfield, Missouri.
Photographer: Daniel Acker/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Monsanto Co.’s undisclosed recruitment of scientists from Harvard University, Cornell University and three other schools to write about the benefits of plant biotechnology is drawing fire from opponents.
The company’s role isn’t noted in the series of articles published in December by the Genetic Literacy Project, a nonprofit group that says its mission is “to disentangle science from ideology.” The group said that such a disclosure isn’t necessary because the the company didn’t pay the authors and wasn’t involved in writing or editing the articles.