No press allowed
From The Scientist's web editor, Simon Frantz:
Reporters entering the press room today were greeted with a sign stating that the media will not be able to attend Queen Noor of Jordan’s keynote presentation on Tuesday. 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 not only a sad indictment of our times, it also highlights a growing trend for companies or institutions that court publicity but are unwilling to provide full access (see a recent editorial we ran in The Scientist. As regular BIO attendees will know, Bill Clinton’s keynote speech last year was closed to the media, although Clinton’s group later agreed to let trade press attend the event. What makes this a particular shame is that Queen Noor of Jordan is the founder and chair of the King Hussein Foundation International, a non-profit, non-governmental organization that aims to foster peace and security through programs that promote cross cultural understanding and social, economic and political opportunity in the Muslim and Arab world -- a worthy cause that should be promoted as much as possible. We won’t be able to tell you about the good work that the foundation is doing, but if you are attending and want to tell us, please do.
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