Media Influences on Stem Cell Research and Opinions

Indianapolis, IN

In today's society, it is nearly impossible to escape the influence media has on daily life. It affects everything from the way people dress to the way they view themselves. It has even gone as far to sway people's opinions on popular scientific debates. After President George Bush's to limit stem cell funding in August 2001, newspapers took off with the debate to help deliver the news on stem cells and evaluate the president's decision. This began the assesment of stem cell ethics and beginning of life questions, and it shaped the way stem cells were viewed for years to come. Looking at the conservative newspaper The Washington post and the liberal newspaper The New York Times, it is clear there weer very precise language chosen for each side of the debate. Everything from vernacular to omissions has shaped the way Americans view stem cell research. Evidence that those first crucial weeks of the dabte had a huge impact can be seen even in today's discussion of stem cells.