Chlorinated chicken, hormone beef and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). A critical discourse analysis of news and tweets regarding the GMO debate during the political uncertainty represented by Brexit negotiations.

This study comprises a critical discourse analysis of digital news and tweets discussing genetically modified organisms within the critical discourse moment of 2017 Brexit negotiations. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have a long history of controversy in the UK spanning from the introduction of the first genetically modified crops in the 1990s to the recent developments of precision plant breeding techniques. Results show that the negative portrayal of GMOs across both platforms was associated with a negative representation of Brexit. This portrayal was achieved using discursive strategies, such as othering and anchoring. Also, articles showing anti-Brexit sentiment used negative hyperbolic language to portray GMOs as alien, associating them with other controversial US food imports, such as chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef. In contrast, the discursive representation of the technology within the rarely represented pro-Brexit propaganda used de-politicisation and economic reasoning to frame biotechnology, especially gene editing, in a non-problematic way within discourses on progress and innovation. The marginal coverage of GMOs within the broader media discussion on post-Brexit trade agreements was reversed on Twitter, where the topic became central in tweets. Prominent views on this social media platform against the cultivation of GMOs in the UK reinforced a politicised representation of the technology, which was associated with environmental and social justice via a cohesive network of anti-GMO activist groups. Other influential voices associated the potential adoption of GM crops with an aversion towards government decisions and a yearn for regulatory independence via highly retweeted Scottish politicians. Social Network Analysis (SNA) demonstrated the cohesive behaviour of anti-GMO activist groups was central to the Twitter debate on GMOs and Brexit. The use of compelling narratives and the efficiency of the network of anti-GMO groups eclipsed the reasoned and detached pronouncements of scientists.