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NOVEMBER 2015 31 At discovermonsanto.com visitors are encouraged to ask questions about the company. Questions range from the safety of food to GMOs and from protecting pollinators to sustainability. Representatives from Monsanto then answer the questions online. to not just do science but then how to share science he writes. The Need to Respond Roberts says its crucial to respond to mis- information even though it might be frustrating to have to do so. Those days are over where people would say We wont dignify that with a response. That doesnt work anymore. I dont know if it ever worked Roberts says. A good response is more important than ever. You cant pretend it will go away because it wont. According to Jordan Monsanto does not respond directly to those sources it knows to be deliberately spreading misinformation. Rather we have our own communi- cation vehicles and collaborate with others to help dispel some of the common myths she says.We rely on our Facebook page and our Twitter accounts and at times we create our own content in direct response. The Monsanto Blog www.monsanto- blog.com is often the place where the company shares viewpoints or answers questions directly on its conversations page. Monsanto also has a viewpoints section on its website called Just Plain False where it corrects misinforma- tion and directs people to third-party sources who can set the record straight. We understand that people have ques- tions about Monsanto and what we do Jordan says.We also understand that not all consumers will believe the information we share. So we try and collaborate with others such as dieti- cians academics NGOs farmers and more to have their viewpoints shared as well. Need to Educate While educating the public is a neces- sity Roberts notes that mentoring the next generation of journalists and com- munications professionals is also key. Thank goodness we still have journal- ists. People who take time to check the facts are important he says. That said communications professionals have an important role to play in journalism providing journalists with different per- spectives to address or counter informa- tion thats out there. Its still kind of a new approach for graduates to consider becoming communications profession- als for companies rather than going into journalism. Still he says journalists are 100 per cent necessary to ensure agriculture com- municates its message effectively and can tackle the misinformation thats on the Internet. We need balanced content out there Roberts says adding that it wont come from special interest groups. Jordan agrees that its crucial to work with not only the public but those who work within the industry as well. We have spent a lot of time over the past year reaching out to farm groups retail customers and other ag indus- try groups encouraging them to share their story and engage more directly with consumers Jordan says.We have also been training our employees and encouraging them to share their stories. To change perceptions I truly believe a collective approach to sharing agri- cultures story and expanding the con- versation is required. Marc Zienkiewicz