The event of the creation of the Dolly clone: imaginaries of the double in the Colombian press

Abstract

Dolly represented an event whose complexity can be explained by its techno-scientific singularity, as well as by its rapid penetration through the media in the imaginaries. As a popular media figure, Dolly met the needs of the media and the public in the construction of accounts and social/cultural representations. Colombia was no exception to this global media phenomenon. The purpose of this article was to obtain knowledge about the handling by the Colombian media of news of the first mammal clone. The analyzed corpus was constructed from a complete review of the three most widely circulated daily Colombian newspapers during February and March 1997. Rethorical analysis methods of images and discourses, and analysis of the subject coverage in the press were employed. Two aspects of the documentation were analyzed, namely: first, the social/cultural representations related with diverse archaic myths and with science fiction figures; secondly, the philosophical metaphor of duplicity. The media function in the spreading and acquisition of crucial scientific events is also examined. It was found that, rather than explaining significant genetics contents, news about Dolly triggered moral, social and philosophical debates. The issue became a metaphor and was used within political and publicity circles.