Abstract :
The popular media has emerged as an important source of scientific information. It has been suggested that the portrayal of genetics by the media is often inaccurate – a phenomenon branded ‘genohype’ – and, as a result, is having an adverse impact on public understanding and policy development. However, emerging data suggest that, in some circumstances, the media reporting of science is surprisingly accurate and portrays a message created by the scientific community. As such, there are reasons to believe that the hyping of research results might be part of a more systemic problem associated with the increasingly commercial nature of the research environment.
