Science, society and the press.

Apprehension about federal support of and public involvement in research has prompted the biomedical community to adopt an accommodating--some would say, enlightened--attitude toward the press during the past several years. However, it is not uncommon for investigators to see reporters as a potential extension of themselves, whose job it is to "educate" the public so that it will appreciate and, therefore, support the scientific enterprise. With the distinction between "educating" and "informing" in mind, it is simply the duty of the press to inform the public about developments in science--particularly those that have implications for public health and safety--but not necessarily to speak for the biomedical community. As the recombinant-DNA controversy shows, the essence of the important issues between science and society will be that they have no obvious, easy answers, and that they cannot be resolved by a "scientific" analysis of the "facts."