BIO 2001 in San Diego Sets Attendance Record
When a reporter hears a biotechnology firm describe its research with superlatives such as “breakthrough” and “revolutionary” , or in extreme cases as “curing cancer” , to get attention, chances are the news will go in one ear, then out the other.
That is not to say the firm’s research isn’t worth the attention.
But the reality is biotech breakthroughs are few; revolutions often fail in clinical trials; and claims about cures should be addressed with extreme caution.
Use these hyperbolies and your story pitch is likely to end up in the trash can.
That was just one of the warnings made by a panel of journalists at BIO 2001.
Titled “Biotech in the Media: How Are We Doing?”, the session sought to shed light on how the media works and bridge the gap between journalists and those working in the biotech industry.
Jennifer Powell, a business reporter for the Boston Herald, said while the sequencing of the human genome project gave biotechnology a boost, the industry is not without limitations.
For one, the public struggles in making sense of biotechnology. Thus, a lot of people fear it.
“(The industry has) made mistakes and put dangerous products on the market,” she said.
It makes people distrust both the biotech industry, which developed the drugs, and the government, whose job it is to protect consumers from potentially unsafe drugs, she said.
Then there is the issue of drug pricing.
“It is hard for the public to understand how much money is put into a drug,” Powell said, adding, “They don’t want to give it back to you.”
Justin Gillis, a biotech writer for the Washington Post, compared covering the industry to a “storm system.”
Just when the industry appears to have battled through a safety issue like the effect of genetically modified corn on the monarch butterfly, another one hits, such as the StarLink recall.
In May 1999, a study by Cornell University researchers indicated pollen from genetically modified BT-corn could kill monarch caterpillars in laboratory tests.
Later studies sponsored by biotech companies suggested some strains of BT-corn are more toxic to monarch caterpillars than others.
StarLink, a genetically modified corn approved only for animal consumption, became controversial when it was discovered in taco shells sold in supermarkets. Authorities recalled the product.
To weather such storms, he suggested, requires open channels of communication.
Paul Jacobs of the San Jose Mercury News urged company spokesmen to act cautiously.
He urged companies to avoid ethical lapses, market deceptions and preserve higher principles. He also urged companies to admit mistakes and help reporters gain access to the right people.
Tom Abate, from the San Francisco Chronicle, said nobody likes to deal with bad news, but it’s one of the industry’s realities.
Patents will continue to be disputed, drugs will fail, cloning and genetically engineered foods will spawn controversy and someone has yet to find a cure for cancer, heart disease and AIDS, Abate said.
In conclusion: Keep the communication channels open, don’t confuse reporters with scientific gobbledy-gook, and remember reporters have deadlines too.
Reporters can’t cover everything. They are limited by time and space for stories, not to mention resources.
Smaller newspaper tend to have even fewer resources.
Reporters often only have a few hours to write a story, which means they need answers and information quickly.
Most reporters are not chemists or molecular biologists and need to talk to someone in the company who can translate complex scientific jargon into plain English.
This reduces “no comment” references and helps cut down on errors.
Mistakes will happen, but they are less likely if reporters and biotech spokesmen work together.
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BIO 2001:
The Biotechnology Industry Organization said BIO 2001, held last month at the San Diego Convention Center, broke all records for attendance this year.
The four-day event, held June 24-27, drew more than 14,000 scientists, financiers, and company leaders from all over the world to San Diego.
That’s a 30 percent increase in attendance from last year’s conference in Boston, according to BIO.
This year’s event offered 238 & #733; hours of symposia and seminars during the day, and parties in the Downtown Gaslamp District at night.
The local biotech industry , the third-largest cluster of biotechnology firms in the nation , touted the event as a major success.
Send biotech news to mwebb@sdbj.com or fax to (858) 571-3628.
