Authors of study linking GM corn with rat tumors manipulated media to prevent criticism of their work - Boing Boing

Over at Boing Boing:

Earlier today, I posted on the recent paper that claims to have found a link between eating genetically modified corn and the growth of tumors in rats. Short version: The research sucked. It's a terribly done study and it demonstrates why "peer reviewed" does not always mean "accurate".
But now, this story is getting worse. Turns out, the authors of the study (and their financial sponsor, The Sustainable Food Trust) manipulated the media to ensure that the first news stories published about the study would not be critical of its methods or results.
First, some background...

Continues @ Authors of study linking GM corn with rat tumors manipulated media to prevent criticism of their work - Boing Boing:

See also Dot Earth Blog at the NYT:

Group Promoting Rat Study of Engineered Corn Forced Coverage RushBy ANDREW C. REVKIN

Major science journals have long offered media advance access to newsworthy papers ahead of publication under embargo agreements. This process, while imperfect, allows reporters a few days to do reporting and vet studies with independent scientists who also abide by agreed timetables.
A different approach to a press embargo was taken by the organizations that orchestrated publicity around this week’s much discussed study reporting big health impacts on rats fed genetically engineered corn, led by a French scientist strongly opposed to genetically engineered foods. The study has been of particular interest because of California’s looming vote over Proposition 37, which would require labeling of such foods. (There’s been fresh discussion of some merits and apparent weaknesses in the work.)
Ivan Oransky, the executive editor of Reuters Health, who also blogs on medical research and the press, has an important post at his invaluable Embargo Watch blog revealing how the embargo rules, involving signed agreements, used by those involved with the rat study appear to have had the opposite goal — making sure reporters ran with the scary news about tumor rates and premature mortality in rats fed chow with G.M.O. ingredients without having time for analysis and crosschecking.,,,continues at link

Update: And Steve Novella Pitches in too


The GM Corn Rat Study
Published by Steven Novella at Neurologica blog

By all accounts this study looks like the perfect storm of ideologically motivated pseudoscience. French researchers Gilles-Eric Séralini at the University of Caen, who have a history of opposition to GM food, have published a highly dubious study allegedly linking consuming the GM corn or exposure to the roundup pesticide with increased risk of tumors and death. However:
In an unusual move, the research group did not allow reporters to seek outside comment on their paper before its publication in the peer-reviewed journal Food and Chemical Toxicology and presentation at a news conference in London.
So – they presented their controversial findings, which they consider “alarming,” but prohibited journalists from doing their job before presenting the results. That’s more than suspicious – I think it’s unethical. Transparency in science is critical, especially when that research has immediate implications for public safety and can have a profound effect on public opinion....continues at link

meanwhile a word from the CRIIGEN sponsor, Carrefour