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Popular Representations of Race: The News Coverage of BiDil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Timothy Caulfield  and
Simrat Harry
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Extract

The popular press plays an important role in science communication, both reflecting and shaping public attitudes about particular issues and technologies. It is a key source of health information and can help to frame public debates about science and health care controversies. Given this powerful role, there has long been a concern that media representations of genetics are overly simplistic and inappropriately deterministic in tone. If true, media representations may hurt collective deliberations about science issues and misinform the public regarding the relevance of genetics in a variety of contexts — including the relevance of genetics and biology to the existing social categories of “race.”

Type
Symposium
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 36 , Issue 3 , Fall 2008 , pp. 485 - 490
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2008

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