Paris 2002 - Managing research within medias turbulences

Académie d'Agriculture de France

Special session, Friday October 18th, 2002 :

Reconciling Science and Society in agriculture

Guy Paillotin, President of INA-PG*
Summary

Throughout the world, changes in the relations between Science and Society impinge upon research governance, which must adapt itself to medias driven turbulences. To prevent the latter occurrence, secure and mutually clear links must be established with opinion makers. They should be kept informed of strategic issues, and it is necessary to know how to answer their often uncomfortable questions. Yet, in view of the necessity to cope with emotional reactions, not every information can be made public. This is the more important as confusions occur frequently between scientific controversies and polemical medias disputes. In effect, research governance should be guided by democratic processes, but this is not to be confused with immediate reactivity to public opinion pressure.

Beyond information exchanges, researchers and newsmen freedom can be maintained for mutual benefit, under the condition that research specific governance rules be enforced. In particular, medias should never be used as promotional devices for controversial theories.

In face of medias turbulences, two pitfalls attract too many researchers: one is to take refuge into theirs own community shelters. The other consists in bringing common people into the core of knowledge creation. In reality, one should seek setting up some sort of "co-responsibility". Knowledge should remain the outcome of a conceptual elaboration process, under the control of the standard, scientific community accepted rules for administering proofs. At the same time, it must be clear that it takes full sense only when shared by the widest possible audience.

* The INA-PG ( Institut National Agronomique de Paris-Grignon) is the agricultural university in Paris.