“The opinions of people with strong opinions should be given equal weight to those of people with compelling scientific evidence.” Discuss with reference to media coverage of a scientific controversy. The Genetically Modified Food Controversy What are GMO/genetically modified foods and why are they controversial? In this essay, I will find out whether strong opinions should be given equal importance to those with compelling scientific evidence on genetic issues. modified organisms and finally come to the conclusion whether GMOs are safe or potentially harmful to humans and the environment. Genetically modified (GM) foods are created by organisms that have had specific changes introduced into their DNA using genetic engineering methods. In molecular biology, genetic engineering is defined as “the direct manipulation of genes for practical purposes” (Campbell & Reece, 2005: 384). In retrospect, organisms that have been genetically modified are scientifically called “transgenic organisms,” which are more commonly known as “genetically modified organisms” (Karp, 2008: 770). GM or GMO (genetically modified organism) foods are used to denote cultivated plants whose genetic material has been engineered to modify their biology or chemistry to increase herbicide resistance or increase nutritional content. GM foods have generated a contentious debate among: government regulators, biotechnology companies, scientists, economic activists, environmentalists and consumers. The main areas of controversy related to GM foods are the neutrality of scientific examination and publication, the environmental and health outcomes of GM crops, and the role of crops in feeding the world's population. Strong opinions of environmentalists, ..... . half of the document...this shows that FCT and Monsanto coincide with the same agenda. Also, that the media and corporations have enough power to manipulate people over genuine scientific evidence. People with strong opinions such as environmentalists and anti-GMO activists support Seralini's study as compelling scientific evidence and recognize corporate/scientific agendas, therefore, they are justified in having their strong opinions. While each person can recite these details and come to different conclusions about the importance of genetically modified foods, as well as the moral decisions made by the companies that control the production of these foods. The final choice on genetically modified foods should be left to a well-informed consumer and not left in the dark by those in government and large corporations who may not have the interests of the general public as their primary objective..