Concerned about the image of the biotech industry, the BIO trade group has launched a web site in hopes of countering the ‘dramatic interpretations’ and ‘creative license’ purportedly found on the new CBS show, Eleventh Hour, which airs on Thursday nights. Here is how CBS describes its show…

“Dr. Jacob Hood, a brilliant biophysicist and special science advisor to the government, as he investigates scientific crises and oddities. His jurisdiction is absolute and Hood is dogged in his pursuit of those who would abuse and misuse scientific discoveries and breakthroughs for their own gain. His passion and crusade is to protect the substance of science from those with nefarious motives. He is called in at the eleventh hour and he represents the last line of defense.”

To BIO, the program smacks of sensationalism, and so its own EleventhHourFacts.com is posting info about diseases and scientific after each episode, and hosting live chats, too. “…we encourage you to return here to see how the actual science works,” according to the message on BIO’s site. “Eleventh Hour can take creative license with these intriguing processes to ensure that the dilemma is solved in 60 minutes, but our scientists are working every day to improve quality of life for all of us.”

This is an interesting way to get its message out. And BIO appears to be trying hard to avoid the appearance of outright disdain for the show (why alienate the fans, right?) Still, whether it’s worth expending such energy to counter the TV show is debatable, given that it is difficult, if not impossible, to know whether large numbers of Eleventh Hour viewers will ever pay any attention to BIO’s site. However, it can be hard to argue with a strategy that would, otherwise, amount to doing nothing.

Hat tip to The RPM Report