Jon Palfreman
Palfreman Film Group, Inc.

Using case studies from nuclear waste disposal to genetically modified organisms, this paper examines the art and science of risk communication. It argues that effective risk communication must not only take account of the psychology of how ordinary people perceive risks, but also allow for the actions of intermediaries—so-called Risk Amplifiers and Risk Minimizers.

Key words: Risk communication; risk perception; Risk Amplifiers; Risk Minimizers; genetically modified organisms; GMOs; agricultural biotechnology; nuclear waste.