Covering Food Safety Scares

By Ashley Macha
August 8, 2008 05:37 PM

High-profile food safety stories, from tomatoes to jalapenos, have consistently grabbed headlines in both newspapers and online. Much of the coverage focuses on poisoning dangers, highlighting individuals who have died from diseases like salmonella or E. coli.

But food poisonings and recalls not only affect consumers, they also have the potential to damage sales and reputations. Farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers and importers all feel the pinch as food safety issues hit the news, and often times, even after the scare has passed, many, like those in the tomato, spinach, jalapeno and pet food markets, continue to face fallout.

Business reporters must learn the ins and outs of such issues, said Dr. Jan. L Duave, director for undergraduate studies and advisor chair for the Department of Agriculture Economics at University of Minnesota.

“In general, the press has done a decent job of reporting the facts of what is going on to the general public,” Duave said. “One of the things that happens with reporters with these issues is that they like to talk to the ‘man on the street’ or the person who isn’t trained to be objective about this.”

Duave suggests business reporters look to third party sources for unbiased comments and complete data to round out the story. This is especially important since food scares in the past have brought some businesses to their financial knees.

“That’s the tough part for the folks reporting on these things,” Duave said. “The biggest service is to really seek out that objective third party - and they aren’t always easy to find.”

Bina Venkataraman, a science reporter for The New York Times, said in an e-mail interview that each news organization and journalist has a different standard and tenor when reporting these topics.

“I certainly do not try to hype anything up,” Venkataraman said. “I personally strive for accuracy and for informing the public and attempt to inform fairly and truthfully the decisions and interests of citizens, governments, businesses and more.”

But even still, sources may unknowingly point fingers in the wrong direction. It is therefore extremely important that business journalists get the details, and the numbers, right when they report these high-impact stories.

Duave also suggested inaccurate and sensationalized stories on food safety could influence food prices. “People switch from tomatoes to other things and that’s going to push the prices of those things up,” she said.

As the story progresses, check the relativity of how it really may impact the population, Duave said. Reporters who become educated on agriculture businesses should be able to thoroughly and accurately explain to readers the tiers of food safety issues.

“The cause of death from CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) numbers says food-related deaths don’t even make the top 15,” Duave said. “In the big scheme of things, the food supply is safe.”

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Copyright © 2008 Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism