Séralini, et. al. - RoundUp-GMO Study Re-Published

[mother earth]

12. Jon Entine & Genetic Literacy Project are one in the same, science & branding for hire, but

doing their best at hiding it.

Entine is also a tireless supporter of genetically modified organisms (GMO), more specifically the poisoned, dangerous products of big-agri giants like Monsanto and Syngenta. His website, the “Genetic Literacy Project” is a shameless clearing house for big-agri lobbying efforts – funded by big-agri. His ties to corporate-subsidized academia and corporate special interests indicates that his intentions to abuse this technology are not merely the rants of a single man, but an institutionalized agenda he serves as a spokesman for.

http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2012/02/atrazine-syngengta-tyrone-hayes-jon-entine

The Making of an Agribusiness Apologist

Though he denies being a hired gun for Syngenta, Entine cuts an odd figure as an independent ally of atrazine. Since 2003, he has been listed as a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, the pro-business, anti-regulation think tank. Entine told me that he organized a 2009 conference on pesticides for AEI, moderating a panel featuring a Syngenta researcher; a rep from Croplife America, the main agrichemical industry lobbying group; and prominent pesticide critic Jay Feldman of Beyond Pesticides. Despite his affiliation, Entine said his title with AEI is "honorific." He explained in an email, "I don't work for AEI. I get zero dollars from AEI."

US Geological SurveyEntine also runs a consultancy, ESG MediaMetrics. The firm's homepage lists Monsanto as a "select client." Among its "core services," it lists "Media strategy, writing, speechwriting, and engagement with critics." Describing its media services, it declares, "We manage and create reputations. We bring to every challenge our vast experience as active journalists, public relations and media specialists, international scholars, and advisers for Fortune 500 corporations." On the bio of personal web page, Entine has this to say about ESG MediaMetrics: The group "advises corporations and NGOs on Environmental, Social, and Governance issues, and on brand reputation and strategic communications." It adds: "Recent clients have included KKR, The Carlyle Group, The Alliance of Merger and Acquisition Advisors, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, P&G, American Greetings, Monsanto, DHL/Deutsche Post and Nicor."

However, when I referred to ESG MediaMetrics as a PR firm in an email to Entine, he objected forcefully:
I consult with organizations, from fair trade groups to the Environmental Defense Fund to corporations. I'm committed to science. I do no corporate PR work. You can misrepresent what I do and call it PR work, but that would be deceitful. People who do what I do are generally called "green consultants," which I'm sure you'd never use as then I'd seem like a good guy and it's much easier to put people and what they do in neat little boxes that prevent real thinking.

As for listing Monsanto as a client on the ESG website, Entine wrote: "Nine years ago, I did a $2000 research project for v-Fluence, a social media company formed by former Monsanto executives. That's the entirety of my Monsanto relationship."
To hear Entine tell it, his defenses of atrazine and other pesticides are entirely pro bono and driven by his own initiative. He told me he gets "almost all" of his income from the Genetic Literacy Project, which, he added, is funded by what he called the Templeton and Searle foundations. The project is housed at the Statistical Assessment Service program at George Mason University, where Entine is a fellow. Though Entine would not specify which Searle trust funded the GLP, the Searle Freedom Trust's 2010 tax form lists a $154,000 grant to STATS for a "Gene Policy and Science Literacy Project," which sounds an awful lot like Entine's. Founded by pharmaceutical and Nutrasweet magnate Daniel C. Searle, the Searle Freedom Trust funds all manner of conservative and free-market think tanks, including the Manhattan and Heartland Institutes.

According to an earlier version of the Genetic Literacy Project's website, it "fosters dialogue about the scientific, social and ethical implications of genetic technologies…It respects the uncertainties inherent in science but is grounded in the belief that genomic research is an engine of innovation and job creation." But the site included almost no information about what the project actually does. A "news" tab opened a page featuring links to several Entine op-eds on topics that have nothing to do with genetics: pieces defending plastics, fracking, atrazine, and BPA.