Hubbry Logo
Jon EntineJon EntineMain
Open search
Jon Entine
Community hub
Jon Entine
logo
8 pages, 0 posts
0 subscribers
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Jon Entine
Jon Entine
Jon Entine
View on Wikipedia
from Wikipedia

Jon Entine (born April 30, 1952) is an American science journalist. After working as a network news writer and producer for NBC News and ABC News, Entine moved into print journalism. Entine has written seven books and is a contributing columnist to newspapers and magazines. He is the founder and executive director of the science advocacy group the Genetic Literacy Project, and a former visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.[1] He is also the founder of the consulting company ESG Mediametrics.[2][3]

Key Information

Early life

[edit]

Entine was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania into an Ashkenazi Jewish family from eastern Europe[4] and was raised in Reform Judaism.[5] He graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1974[6] with a B.A. in philosophy.[citation needed]

Television

[edit]

In high school, Entine worked as a weekend copyboy for the CBS owned-and-operated TV station then known as WCAU. In 1975, Entine was hired to write for the ABC News program AM America, which was renamed Good Morning America the following year. Entine worked for ABC News as a writer, assignment desk editor, and producer in New York City and Chicago from 1975 to 1983 for programs including the ABC Evening News, 20/20 and Nightline. He took a leave of absence from ABC News in 1981–1982 to study at the University of Michigan under a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship in journalism.[citation needed]

Entine joined NBC News in New York in 1984 as a special segment producer for NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, where he worked until 1990. In 1989, Entine and Brokaw collaborated to write and produce Black Athletes: Fact and Fiction, which was named Best International Sports Film of 1989.[7] From 1989 to 1990, Entine served as executive in charge of documentaries at NBC News. He rejoined ABC News in 1991 as an investigative producer for Primetime. In 1993 Entine produced a story with reporter Sam Donaldson on eye surgery clinics that led to a lawsuit against ABC News, Entine, and Donaldson.[8][9] The suit was dismissed by a federal appeals court, which concluded: "The only scheme here was a scheme to expose publicly any bad practices that the investigative team discovered, which is nothing fraudulent."[10] In 1994, Entine produced a prime time special on the Miss America Pageant, "Miss America: Beyond the Crown" for NBC Entertainment.[citation needed]

Body Shop controversy

[edit]

In September 1994, Entine wrote an investigative article titled "Shattered Image: Is The Body Shop Too Good to Be True?" The article caused an international controversy and led to articles in The New York Times[citation needed] and a report on ABC World News Tonight.[citation needed] The Body Shop, the British-based international cosmetics company, which until that point had been considered a model "socially responsible" company, tried to block the story from being published.[11] The case has become the subject of business and management ethics studies.[12][13]

Genetic Literacy Project

[edit]

Entine is the executive director of the Genetic Literacy Project (GLP), an organization he founded.[14][15] The GLP is a non-profit organization that promotes public awareness and discussion of genetics, biotechnology, evolution and science literacy.[15][16][17][18] The site presents articles on topics related to food and agricultural genetics, as well as human genetics.[19] It also aggregates articles from various published sources. GLP has posted articles taking positions against labeling GMO foods.[20][21] In a Financial Times article, the Genetic Literacy Project site was described as a provider of information on genomics that is not readily accessible to the general public.[22]

Accusations of being a Monsanto front group

[edit]

US Right to Know, an advocacy group funded in large part by the Organic Consumers Association,[23][24] raised concerns after the GLP ran a series of articles in 2014 supportive of crop biotechnology after the scientists had been encouraged to do so by American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto.[25] The GLP said the authors were not paid for their articles. Entine remarked that he had total control of the editing process and that there was nothing to disclose.[25]

In 2020 and 2021 the GLP received US$741,183 and US$494,075 in donations, respectively.[26]

Books

[edit]

Entine has written three books on genetics and two on chemicals. Let Them Eat Precaution: How Politics is Undermining the Genetic Revolution examines the controversy over genetic modification in agriculture.[citation needed]

Entine's first book, Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We're Afraid to Talk About It was inspired by the documentary on black athletes written with Brokaw in 1989.[27] It received reviews ranging from mostly positive to highly negative in The New York Times.[27][28][29] Physical anthropologist Jonathan Marks characterized the book as "make-believe genetics applied to naively conceptualized groups of people."[29]

In 2007, Entine published Abraham's Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People which examined the shared ancestry of Jews, Christians and Muslims, and addressed the question "Who is a Jew?" as seen through the prism of DNA. In a review of this book, geneticist Harry Ostrer wrote that Entine's "understanding of the genetics is limited and uncritical, but his broad, well-documented sweep of Jewish history will inform even the most knowledgeable of readers."[30]

Organizational affiliations

[edit]

He was previously senior research fellow at the Center for Health & Risk Communication at George Mason University where he began in 2011[31] and at GMU's STATS (Statistical Assessment Service).[32]

Entine joined the conservative American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research as an adjunct scholar in 2002 and was subsequently a visiting scholar.[citation needed] His research focuses on science and society and corporate sustainability. AEI Press has published three books written and edited by Entine: Crop Chemophobia: Will Precaution Kill the Green Revolution?, which analyzes the impact of chemicals in agriculture; Pension Fund Politics: The Dangers of Socially Responsible Investing, which focuses on the growing influence of social investing in pension funds; and Let Them Eat Precaution: How Politics Is Undermining the Genetic Revolution in Agriculture, which examined the debate over genetic modification (GMOs), food, and farming.

As of 2016, Entine was a senior fellow at the Institute Food and Agricultural Literacy at University of California Davis.[1]

In 2012 when asked about affiliations between the agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation Monsanto and his consulting company ESG Mediametrics, Entine said, "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."[3]

Bibliography

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Jon Entine

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Jon Entine is an American science journalist, author, and commentator who specializes in genetics, biotechnology, and science policy. He founded and serves as executive director of the Genetic Literacy Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the public, media, and policymakers understand the science and societal implications of advancements in human and agricultural biotechnology. Entine's career spans journalism, television production, and authorship, with numerous awards including two News & Documentary Emmy Awards for his work as a producer. His interest in genetics stemmed from a family history of breast and ovarian cancer, inspiring books that explore genetic topics such as race, identity, and the politics of genetic engineering. Among his publications are three focused on genetics and two addressing agricultural and chemical issues, including examinations of ethical and policy dimensions in these fields. Through the Genetic Literacy Project, Entine advocates for evidence-based discourse on genetic technologies, often critiquing coverage in media and promoting literacy in biotech innovations like gene editing and GMOs. His work has appeared in major outlets and think tanks, positioning him as a voice in debates over science communication and regulatory approaches to emerging technologies.

Professional Background

Early Career

Entine began his journalism career in 1974 as a television news producer and writer, initially working for ABC News in roles such as assignment editor and producer for programs including 20/20 from 1974 to 1983, and again from 1991 to 1993 as producer for Primetime Live. He later contributed to NBC News, serving as a longtime producer for Tom Brokaw and producing documentaries that earned him multiple awards, including Emmys. Over two decades in network television news, spanning from 1974 to the mid-1990s, Entine honed investigative reporting skills through production of news specials and segments for ABC and NBC, focusing on high-profile stories that built his expertise in broadcast journalism. This period laid the groundwork for his shift to print journalism, where he began exploring business ethics and corporate accountability topics.

Journalism Contributions

Entine has contributed to science journalism by critiquing what he describes as alarmist media coverage of environmental issues, including persistent reporting on declining bee populations despite evidence of recovery. He served as a source for journalist John Stossel in segments highlighting how media narratives exaggerated colony collapse disorder around 2006–2007 as a "bee-pocalypse," when U.S. managed bee colonies temporarily dropped but subsequently rebounded to record highs, exceeding 2.7 million by 2023. In his reporting, Entine has challenged mainstream narratives on pesticides, arguing that restrictions on neonicotinoids based on bee decline claims overlook broader data showing stable or improving pollinator health amid agricultural pesticide use. For instance, he examined colony collapse disorder, attributing mass bee deaths more to factors like varroa mites and poor beekeeping practices than to neonics, and critiqued media amplification of environmental group claims without contextual recovery trends. Entine has also addressed biodiversity concerns, disputing "insect apocalypse" stories that predict widespread declines driven by pesticides, instead pointing to inconsistent global data and methodological flaws in alarmist studies while noting overall insect abundance in many ecosystems remains robust. His analyses extend to genetic technologies, where he has highlighted media tendencies to prioritize ideological critiques over empirical evidence in coverage of GMOs and crop biotechnology.

Genetic Literacy Project

Founding and Leadership

Jon Entine founded the Genetic Literacy Project (GLP) in 2012 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing science literacy in genetics and biotechnology. As its founder and executive director, Entine envisioned the GLP as a resource to help the public, media, and policymakers better comprehend the science and societal implications of genetic technologies, thereby addressing perceived gaps in accurate information dissemination. The organization was initially headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with an early emphasis on educational initiatives and advocacy to promote informed discussions on emerging genetic advancements. This effort built on Entine's prior experience in science journalism to establish a platform for evidence-based perspectives.

Mission and Operations

The Genetic Literacy Project (GLP) aims to promote science-based reporting and understanding of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), gene editing, and associated biotechnologies among the public, media, and policymakers, emphasizing evidence over ideology. Its core goal is to disentangle scientific facts from unsubstantiated fears, fostering informed discourse on topics like agricultural genetics and human biotech applications. GLP's operations center on educational initiatives and advocacy efforts to counter perceived media exaggerations regarding risks to food safety and biodiversity. The organization maintains networks of scientific experts who contribute to content creation and public outreach, enabling balanced perspectives on genetic technologies. Notable activities include hosting webinars that address misinformation in biotechnology, such as sessions critiquing hype around agricultural innovations. These efforts support collaborations with researchers to highlight data-driven insights, promoting skepticism toward alarmist narratives while advocating for regulatory policies grounded in empirical evidence.

Notable Writings

Books

Entine authored Taboo: Why Black Athletes Dominate Sports and Why We're Afraid to Talk About It, published in 2000, which examines the overrepresentation of athletes of West African descent in sprinting and other power sports, attributing it partly to genetic factors such as muscle fiber composition and body type distributions, while critiquing societal reluctance to discuss racial differences in athletic ability. The book draws on scientific studies, historical data, and athlete profiles to argue that environmental explanations alone are insufficient, sparking debates on nature versus nurture in sports performance. In Abraham's Children: Race, Identity, and the DNA of the Chosen People (2007), Entine investigates genetic markers linking modern Jewish populations to ancient Israelite origins, including the Cohen Modal Haplotype associated with priestly lineages, and explores how DNA testing reshapes understandings of Jewish identity, diaspora history, and claims of chosenness. The work integrates population genetics research with cultural and religious narratives, highlighting both shared Middle Eastern ancestries across Jewish subgroups and influences from host populations. Entine edited Let Them Eat Precaution: How Politics Is Undermining the Genetic Revolution in Agriculture (2005), a collection critiquing the precautionary principle's application in regulating genetically modified crops, arguing that it prioritizes hypothetical risks over evidence-based benefits like increased yields and reduced pesticide use, thereby stifling innovation in food production. Contributors analyze case studies from Europe and the U.S., advocating for risk assessment grounded in empirical data rather than political opposition to biotechnology. These publications laid groundwork for Entine's later advocacy through the Genetic Literacy Project, emphasizing evidence-based evaluation of genetic technologies.

Articles and Commentary

Entine has authored numerous opinion pieces and commentaries for outlets such as Forbes, addressing genetically modified organisms (GMOs), media reporting on science, and perceived biases in coverage of biotechnology. In a 2013 Forbes article, he criticized Discover Magazine's GMO reporting for employing "false equivalency" by balancing scientific consensus with fringe views, arguing that such practices undermine evidence-based discourse. He has also challenged claims of environmental harm from GM crops, highlighting scientific rebuttals to activist narratives in pieces like a 2012 Forbes commentary. His writings often focus on specific controversies, such as the development of Golden Rice, a biofortified crop aimed at combating vitamin A deficiency. In a 2012 Forbes piece, Entine accused Greenpeace of a "hysteria campaign" that influenced Chinese regulators to retreat from approving Golden Rice trials, despite its potential nutritional benefits and safety profile akin to conventional breeding. On pesticide safety, he has defended GMO-associated technologies, noting in commentaries that they incorporate natural pesticides similar to those in organic farming and reduce overall chemical use compared to traditional methods. Over time, Entine's commentary has evolved to emphasize genetic literacy and empirical evidence, critiquing ideological influences on science journalism while advocating for nuanced public understanding of biotechnologies like GMOs. This shift aligns with his broader efforts to counter misinformation, as seen in analyses of groups promoting unsubstantiated risks from RNA interference in GM crops.

Controversies and Criticisms

Funding Allegations

Critics have accused the Genetic Literacy Project (GLP) of receiving funding from Monsanto, portraying it as a front group influenced by the agricultural biotechnology industry. Organizations such as U.S. Right to Know and SourceWatch have claimed that Monsanto, later acquired by Bayer, provided financial support to GLP, citing Bayer's 2019 statement to HuffPost indicating it "no longer provides financial support," which implies prior involvement. Jon Entine and GLP have denied receiving direct funding from Monsanto or similar corporations, emphasizing independence and transparency through publicly listed donors primarily consisting of philanthropic foundations like the John Templeton Foundation and Searle Freedom Trust. Entine has asserted that GLP's operations rely on non-industry sources to maintain editorial autonomy in advocating for genetic technologies. These allegations have fueled broader debates on funding transparency among nonprofit science advocacy groups, where critics question donor disclosures amid scrutiny of biotech-focused missions that may invite perceptions of industry alignment, though GLP maintains rigorous separation from corporate influence.

Media Skepticism Advocacy

Entine has advocated for greater skepticism toward mainstream media reporting on genetics, biotechnology, and environmental issues, arguing that such coverage often prioritizes sensationalism over scientific evidence. Through the Genetic Literacy Project, which he founded, Entine positions the organization as a resource for promoting evidence-based discourse, critiquing what he describes as alarmist narratives that misrepresent data on topics like genetically modified organisms and pesticide impacts. This approach serves as a counterweight to perceived media biases, encouraging policymakers, journalists, and the public to prioritize rigorous analysis amid polarized debates on genetic technologies. Entine's efforts highlight the value of questioning dominant narratives for audiences wary of hype-driven science journalism, while also underscoring the need for balanced scrutiny of contrarian viewpoints to foster accurate public understanding. Instances of his advocacy, such as challenging exaggerated claims of widespread bee population collapses attributed to pesticides, have illustrated his emphasis on contextual data showing temporary fluctuations followed by recoveries. These positions have sparked ongoing debates, with supporters crediting Entine for advancing pro-science perspectives and critics questioning the framing of risks in genetic innovations, reflecting the contentious reception of his media skepticism.

References

  1. https://jonentine.com/
  2. https://jonentine.com/genetic-literacy-project/
  3. https://muckrack.com/jon-entine-1/bio
  4. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/our-team/
  5. https://jonentine.com/author/
  6. https://jonentine.com/biography/
  7. https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/entine-jon
  8. https://www.europeanscientist.com/en/redactions-choice/a-conversation-with-jon-entine-from-race-to-gmo-facing-all-the-taboos/
  9. https://reason.com/2024/05/22/how-the-media-manufactured-panic-over-bees/
  10. https://stosselintheclassroom.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Are-We-Killing-the-Bees.pdf
  11. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2013/04/11/science-collapse-disorder-the-real-story-behind-neonics-and-mass-bee-deaths/
  12. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2018/01/09/rethinking-pesticides-neonicotinoids-bee-health-crisis-narrative-media-get-wrong/
  13. https://quillette.com/2021/07/25/the-insect-apocalypse-that-never-was/
  14. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2013/11/12/metastisizing-misinformation-about-gmos-and-rna-ugly-glare-on-union-of-concerned-scientists-consumers-union/
  15. https://www.thenewlede.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Genetic-Literacy-Project-2021-Annual-Report-3-1.pdf
  16. https://www.linkedin.com/company/genetic-literacy-project
  17. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/
  18. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/donate/
  19. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2020/09/22/webinar-glps-jon-entine-science-communicators-address-agricultural-biotechnology-misinformation/
  20. https://www.amazon.com/Taboo-Athletes-Dominate-Sports-Afraid/dp/158648026X
  21. https://www.amazon.com/Abrahams-Children-Identity-Chosen-People/dp/0446580635
  22. https://www.amazon.com/Let-Them-Eat-Precaution-Undermining/dp/0844742007
  23. https://www.aei.org/research-products/book/let-them-eat-precaution/
  24. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2013/03/11/false-equivalency-infects-discover-magazines-questionable-reporting-on-gmos/
  25. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2012/10/12/scientists-journalists-challenge-claim-that-gm-crops-harm-the-environment/
  26. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2012/12/11/greenpeace-hysteria-campaign-scares-chinese-into-retreat-on-nutrition-enhancing-gmo-golden-rice/
  27. https://usrtk.org/industry-pr/jon-entine-genetic-literacy-project/
  28. https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Genetic_Literacy_Project
  29. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/mission-financials-governance/
  30. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/genetic-literacy-project/
  31. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/09/01/monsanto-shill-alert-industry-funded-gmo-research-bias-findings/
  32. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2013/07/18/grist-challenges-its-own-shaky-crop-biotechnology-reporting-sets-stage-for-gmo-science-journalism-conclave/
  33. https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/2022/11/30/daily-source-bias-check-genetic-literacy-project/
  34. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2023/01/27/podcast-disinformation-feedback-loop-glps-jon-entine-and-geneticist-kevin-folta-expose-web-of-anti-biotech-groups-and-their-anti-vaxx-cult-promoting-funding-sources/
Add your contribution
Related Hubs
User Avatar
No comments yet.