BIO and the Fourth Estate

The annual linkurl:BIO International Convention;http://www.bio2007.org/ is under way in Boston, and already TV programs, newspaper articles and blogs are fizzing with stories of the great and the good in biotechnology. But there will be one notable exception to the blanket coverage of the event. Reporters entering the press room were greeted with a sign stating that the media will not be able to attend the linkurl:keynote presentation on Tuesday;http://www.bio2007.org/Attendees/educational_sessions/Keynote_Sessions.htm, given by Queen Noor of Jordan. This seems a mysterious approach to an event that traditionally embraces the press and allows many avenues to report on advances in the biotech industry. But BIO officials say this is at the request of Queen Noor of Jordan's people, who are concerned about the safety of her new family, as well as guarding against being misconstrued by the press. This is as much a sad indictment of our times as it is a growing...