Gm Crops and the Press-The Bt Brinjal Controversy in English and Kannada Newspapers

There has been a nationwide debate on allowing commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) food crops in India. The key issue is safety of transgenic crops for both human beings and the environment. In the light of strong arguments for and against allowing commercial cultivation of the GM food crop Bt brinjal in India, the then Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh held a series of consultations with scientists, farmers' organizations, agricultural experts, consumer groups and NGOs before declaring a moratorium on cultivation until all safety issues were addressed. The present study attempts to examine the coverage of concerns and controversies surrounding the Bt brinjal through a content analysis of English and Kannada dailies. It was found that the anti-Bt brinjal campaign received favourable coverage suggesting that the newspapers played advocacy role with regard to the issue. Most stories were put in 'risk' frame.