Representation of Cloning in the Media Since the birth of Dolly, the cloned sheep, the debate over human cloning has been characterized in the media as an ethical debate. When scientists announced that they had cloned an adult sheep, the public also learned that human cloning was possible. Media stories about this unprecedented feat were not about the procedures used but rather about the morality of the process itself. Media coverage has focused on the ethical concerns of cloning, its social, religious and physiological significance, and the motivation behind it. Despite the many views expressed in the media about cloning, the main characterization of cloning as an ethical issue revolves around two related concerns: the loss of individuality and the seemingly evil motivations behind cloning. In a sense, media coverage has framed the public moral debate about cloning around the above issues. In media coverage, the media has chosen to portray cloning as a danger to individuality and uniqueness. This concern about losing individuality stems from the clones' status as copies. The March 10, 1997 cover of Time Magazine shows two large identical images of sheep with numerous copies of the same image in the background, and the cover headline asks, "Will There Be Another One of You?" The image accompanying the main article shows a coin-operated machine dispensing white males, while another image shows identical bodies falling from a test tube. Similar images expressing this concern about the loss of individuality caused by cloning dominate the popular media. This portrayal of cloning as a means of causing the loss of individuality reflects two widespread ideas. The first is… middle of paper… w, the media has framed the cloning debate as an ethical debate and has provided the framework in which much of the public views the issue. Among the articles I reviewed, the main characterization of cloning as an ethical issue centers on two related concerns: the loss of individuality and the motivations behind cloning. In presenting cloning, the media has not always presented an objective view of cloning, but rather has played on people's fears regarding the loss of individuality and the questionable use of cloning to create uncertainty among the public. Works Cited Begley, Sharon, Little Lamb Who Made Thee, Newsweek, March 10, 1997 Elmer Dewitt, Cloning: Where Do We Draw the Line, Time, November 8, 1993 Herbert, Wray, The World After Cloning US News & World Report, March 10 1997 Nash, Madeline, The Age of Cloning, Time, March 10, 1997