Health Law Institute, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
Biomedical Ethics Research Program and Center for Regenerative Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
Genet Med. 2019 Oct;21(10):2184-2189. doi: 10.1038/s41436-019-0482-5. Epub 2019 Apr 12.
CRISPR is often called one of the century's most important discoveries and is commonly discussed in terms of its momentous potential impacts. This study analyzed how CRISPR is discussed in the North American popular press, including how it is defined, and which benefits and risks/concerns are attributed to the technology.
Using the Factiva database, we identified 228 relevant, nonduplicated articles containing either "CRISPR" or "C.R.I.S.P.R.," published in popular US and Canadian news sources between 1 January 2012 and 12 July 2017. Content analysis was performed on the articles.
CRISPR is most often discussed in the context of human health (83.8%), compared with animals (26.3%) and plants (20.6%). Nearly all articles (96.1%) presented CRISPR's potential benefits; 61.4% of articles presented CRISPR-related risks/concerns, the vast majority of which focused on the uncertainty surrounding CRISPR, specifically with respect to germline modifications.
Overall, the discourse suggests a strong promotion of CRISPR, but an element of caution is also evident. Technical as well as ethical, legal, and social risks/concerns play a prominent role. This media portrayal of CRISPR might help facilitate more sophisticated and balanced policy responses, where the scientific potential of the technology is highlighted alongside broader social considerations.
CRISPR 常被誉为本世纪最重要的发现之一，其具有重大潜在影响，这一点被广泛讨论。本研究分析了北美大众媒体对 CRISPR 的讨论方式，包括如何对其进行定义，以及该技术被认为具有哪些益处和风险/关注点。
我们使用 Factiva 数据库，确定了 2012 年 1 月 1 日至 2017 年 7 月 12 日期间在北美流行新闻来源中发表的 228 篇非重复相关文章，其中包含“CRISPR”或“C.R.I.S.P.R.”。对文章进行内容分析。
与动物（26.3%）和植物（20.6%）相比，CRISPR 最常被讨论用于人类健康（83.8%）。几乎所有文章（96.1%）都介绍了 CRISPR 的潜在益处；61.4%的文章介绍了与 CRISPR 相关的风险/关注点，其中绝大多数关注的是围绕 CRISPR 的不确定性，特别是在生殖系修饰方面。
总体而言，这一论述表明对 CRISPR 的大力推广，但也存在一定程度的谨慎。技术以及伦理、法律和社会风险/关注点发挥了突出作用。媒体对 CRISPR 的这种描述可能有助于促成更复杂和平衡的政策反应，在强调该技术的科学潜力的同时，还考虑到更广泛的社会因素。
