Cornell Alliance for Science

Food Evolution GMO film is ‘agribusiness propaganda’

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Food Evolution, a documentary produced by Scott Hamilton Kennedy and narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson, claims to look at all points of view in the debate over genetically modified foods (GMOs) debate. But the film quickly devolves into a hard sell for GMOs, based on specious claims and industry sources. See below for our June Food Evolution GMO film is ‘agribusiness propaganda’

Tracking the pesticide industry propaganda network

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Our series of fact sheets shines light on the pesticide industry’s hidden propaganda network: the front groups, academics, journalists and others the pesticide companies rely on for their PR and product-defense campaigns.  

Monsanto’s fingerprints all over Newsweek’s hit on organic food

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Update: Newsweek’s bizarre response By Stacy Malkan “The campaign for organic food is a deceitful, expensive scam,” according to a Jan. 19 Newsweek article authored by Dr. Henry I. Miller of the Hoover Institution. If that name sounds familiar – Henry I. Miller – it may be because the New York Times recently revealed a Monsanto’s fingerprints all over Newsweek’s hit on organic food

Gates-funded ‘Alliance for Science’ accused of peddling misinformation

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The Alliance for Science is a public relations campaign that trains spokespeople and creates networks of influence, particularly in African countries, to persuade the public and policymakers to accept GMOs and pesticides. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the effort in 2014 with a $5.6 million grant and has since donated $22 million to Gates-funded ‘Alliance for Science’ accused of peddling misinformation

Alison Van Eenennaam: key outside spokesperson and lobbyist for the pesticide and GMO industries

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Alison Van Eenennaam, PhD, a Professor of Cooperative Extension in Animal Biotechnology and Genomics at University of California, Davis, is a leading promoter of genetically engineered animals, crops and the pesticides that accompany them, and an advocate for deregulation. Dr. Van Eenennaam is a former Monsanto employee who opposes requiring safety studies for genetically engineered Alison Van Eenennaam: key outside spokesperson and lobbyist for the pesticide and GMO industries

Biofortified Aids Chemical Industry PR & Lobbying Efforts

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Biology Fortified Inc., known as “Biofortified,” is a nonprofit organization that works closely with the agrichemical industry and its collaborators on public relations and lobbying campaigns to defend genetically engineered foods and pesticides, and attack industry critics. Board members and bloggers are key agrichemical industry allies Current and former board members and blog authors listed Biofortified Aids Chemical Industry PR & Lobbying Efforts

Mark Lynas’ inaccurate, deceptive promotions for GMOs and pesticides

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Mark Lynas is a former journalist turned public relations advocate for genetically engineered foods and pesticides. He makes inaccurate claims about those products from his perch at the Gates Foundation-funded Cornell Alliance for Science (which has dropped “Cornell” from its name). The Alliance for Science is a PR campaign that trains spokespeople and creates networks Mark Lynas’ inaccurate, deceptive promotions for GMOs and pesticides

Science Media Centre promotes corporate views of science

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The Science Media Centre (SMC) is a nonprofit public relations agency partially funded by corporations and industry groups whose products the group often defends. Current and past funders include BASF, Bayer, DuPont, Monsanto, Coca-Cola, Nestle, and food, chemical and nuclear industry trade organizations, as well as media groups, government agencies, foundations and universities. The SMC Science Media Centre promotes corporate views of science

Gates Foundation doubles down on misinformation campaign at Cornell as African leaders call for agroecology 

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The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded another $10 million last week to the controversial Cornell Alliance for Science, a communications campaign housed at Cornell that trains fellows in Africa and elsewhere to promote and defend genetically engineered foods, crops and related pesticides. The new grant brings BMGF grants to the group to $22 million. Gates Foundation doubles down on misinformation campaign at Cornell as African leaders call for agroecology 

Pamela Ronald’s Ties to Chemical Industry Front Groups

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Founded, led UC Davis group that elevated industry PR efforts Dr. Ronald was the founding director of the World Food Center’s Institute for Food and Agricultural Literacy (IFAL), a group launched in 2014 at UC Davis to train faculty and students to promote genetically engineered foods, crops and pesticides. The group does not fully disclose Pamela Ronald’s Ties to Chemical Industry Front Groups

Keith Kloor: How a science journalist worked behind the scenes with industry allies

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Keith Kloor is a freelance journalist and an adjunct journalism faculty member at New York University who has written for Nature, Science Insider, Slateand dozens of articles for Discover Magazinepromoting genetically engineered foods and attacking critics of the pesticide industry, while also assisting industry public relations efforts behind the scenes. Emails obtained by U.S. Right Keith Kloor: How a science journalist worked behind the scenes with industry allies

Why Is the Gates Foundation Funding a GMO Propaganda Campaign at Cornell?

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A new analysis by U.S. Right to Know published today in The Ecologist documents how millions of dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are being used to run a propaganda campaign out of Cornell University that promotes GMOs and pesticides for the benefit of agrichemical corporations. The article documents how the Cornell Alliance Why Is the Gates Foundation Funding a GMO Propaganda Campaign at Cornell?

Gates-Funded Cornell Group Misfires in Protest of Vandana Shiva

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Staging public protests seems like an odd way to depolarize a debate, yet the Cornell Alliance for Science—a public relations campaign funded by the Gates Foundation to “depolarize the charged debate” about GMOs—joined in a recent protest at Willamette University to confront Vandana Shiva, PhD, an Indian scholar, author and environmentalist. Joining self-described “science nerd” Gates-Funded Cornell Group Misfires in Protest of Vandana Shiva

Climate Science Denial Network Funds Toxic Chemical Propaganda

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They promote GMOs and pesticides, defend toxic chemicals and junk food, and attack people who raise concerns about those products as “anti-science.” Yet Jon Entine, Trevor Butterworth and Henry Miller are funded by the same groups that finance climate-science denial. By Stacy Malkan British writer George Monbiot has a warning for those of us trying Climate Science Denial Network Funds Toxic Chemical Propaganda

Who’s Behind the Attacks on U.S. Right to Know?

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There have been a couple of recent attacks on U.S. Right to Know, so I thought it might be useful to sketch out who is behind them. A March 9 article in the Guardian criticized us for sending Freedom of Information Act requests to uncover the connections between taxpayer-paid professors and the genetically engineered food Who’s Behind the Attacks on U.S. Right to Know?

A Short Report on Journalists Mentioned in our FOIA Requests

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Also see: Buckraking on the Food Beat: When is it a conflict of interest? Washington Post Food Columnist Goes to Bat for Monsanto On September 23rd, Washington Post food columnist Tamar Haspel admitted to receiving “plenty” of money from pro-agrichemical industry sources. Following her admission, I thought it might be useful to report on journalists A Short Report on Journalists Mentioned in our FOIA Requests

Why is Cornell University Hosting a GMO Propaganda Campaign?

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This article by Stacy Malkan original appeared in The Ecologist The founders of Cornell University, Andrew D. White and Ezra Cornell, dreamed of creating a great university that took a radical approach to learning. Their revolutionary spirit, and the promise to pursue knowledge for the greater good, is said to be at the heart of Why is Cornell University Hosting a GMO Propaganda Campaign?

What Bill Gates Isn’t Telling You About GMOs

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Related reporting by U.S. Right to Know: Cornell Alliance for Science is a PR Campaign for the Agrichemical Industry Gates Funded Cornell Group Protests Vandana Shiva As the big food companies announce plans to label genetically engineered foods in the U.S., we take a closer look at pro and con arguments about the controversial food What Bill Gates Isn’t Telling You About GMOs