Scientists are accusing the Science Media Centre of bias after it neglected to publish their views on a potentially risky food safety practice. The government-funded agency has helped hundreds of the country’s journalists communicate the trickiest science matters of the day to the public and promotes itself as “bias-free”. But a group of scientists is now questioning its impartiality on GM issues. They want to know:

- Why the comments of two Australian scientists who made personal attacks on the credibility of the researchers were published online by the centre.

- Why their own subsequent statements supporting the controversial research were ignored by the centre and not posted on its website.

- Why the centre’s web coverage of an agri-biotech conference last year only featured “selected” media items supportive of GM technologies.