Media bungled clone claim coverage

PMSNBC ^ | January 3, 2003 | Art Caplan, Ph.D.

[lainie]

News outlets failed dismally in reporting on Clonaid

OPINION

By Art Caplan, Ph.D.

Jan. 3 — I do not believe chemist Brigitte Boisselier and her cloning company Clonaid, which is sponsored by the manifestly crazy cult known as the Raelians, have created a clone. I do believe that a number of negative ramifications have resulted since Boisselier appeared just after Christmas in a tacky Hollywood, Fla., motel room to announce to the world that the first cloned human had been born. And the blame for these unfortunate events must be laid squarely at the feet of the media.

[lainie]

So far so good, but then he gets snippy. Here you have it, America: according to this guy, you are too stupid to differentiate the cloning claims of people with no proof whatsoever from real science and scientists (like him). He refuses to even discuss the 'bioethics' issue of human cloning for research purposes. Any opposition to this, such as Cal Thomas', is dismissed as "sheer nonsense."

"Despite 24-hour media attention to the story, the American people have been left confused, scared and clueless."

[theDentist]

Did anyone ever think that the woman with a hybrid Russian-French accent may have been stating they created the first human "clown"???

[69ConvertibleFirebird]

clone claim coverage

Say that fast three times...

[RightWhale]

he gets snippy

No kidding. Some day, when human cloning is common, this debunker will be forgotten. Whether there is human cloning now isn't the main issue. What human cloning will do to society should be of concern. Legal problems will arise. Inheritance of genetic traits is one thing, but what about the family estate?

[Steel Wolf]

Some day, when human cloning is common, this debunker will be forgotten.

Why are we assuming that because it will be possible, it will be common. Are we running out of humans? Is there any need to grow some more? What's wrong with the old way of making humans? What would the aim of cloning humans really be, and would that aim benefit humanity?

Technology is great. I'm all for having nuclear weapons, for instance, but I'd only want to see them used in the darkest of days, and as sparingly as possible. While some manipulation of human DNA, like some nuclear power, can be a good thing, it is overall going to make the world a far more dangerous place.

[lainie]

I think she's full of crap (or worse). The good doctor in the opinion piece outright says I was duped and didn't see it coming. Don't you feel betrayed by the media's lack of scrutiny? We all let the media do our thinking for us, right? They let us down. Whatever will we do now?!

[lainie]

Or making a baby from a man's DNA without his knowledge or consent. Or paternity testing. Or the mere fact that a human clone isn't even legally defined as a person. If the wife clones herself, is the husband responsible for it? The questions are endless.

[Russell Scott]

The media's basic problem is they love being lied to. Even Fox is becoming just another media "clone" that loves the lie. Patty Murray gets hardly any attention, while the clone cult and Trent Lott, both stories based on lies and conjecture, get huge airtime. The light of truth from above (Holy Spirit outpouring of Biblical proportions) is the only thing that will "sweep away the refuge of lies", and pull America out of its death spiral.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

If the Raelians have truly done as they claim, they ought to stop there. Sometimes, you need to learn when to leave well enough aclone.

[Clock King]

I seriously doubt they have done anything. We can not even clone dogs or primates yet, and a bunch of UFO freaks have jumped over those hurdles and cloned a human being, arguably the most complex creature on the planet? NOT!

[theDentist]

We'll do what we've been doing; abandon the traditional media (CNN, CNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS, Newsweek, Time, newspapers) and go to alternatives (internet and such).

[RightWhale]

Why are we assuming that because it will be possible, it will be common.

We are assuming that. Don't know if clone babies will reach 50%, but there are a lot of people who don't enjoy the crapshoot of the old Mother Nature way. It could be here soon, and we don't have the legal and ethical system in order. We're not ready. There are lawsuits and gov't legal investigations already.

[RightWhale]

You are correct. We haven't begun to address the questions and problems once clone babies start hitting the chute. The Dutch couple is being investigated by the gov't already and their baby is only hours old.