Medical journals coming under scrutiny from Trump administration
After two medical journals received letters from a top U.S. attorney asking for responses to questions about alleged bias, scientists are expressing concern about potential Trump administration interference in the journals’ work.
An April 23 STAT article reported that The New England Journal of Medicine, one of the world’s leading medical journals, recently received a letter from interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Edward R. Martin Jr., asking questions about alleged bias in deciding to publish certain unspecified content. Previously, another journal, CHEST, had received a similar letter.
Scientists quoted in the article said they think that the letters may be an attempt to intimidate journals into publishing articles with viewpoints that align with those of the Trump administration. But the experts pointed out that journals don’t publish scientific articles with a single perspective or viewpoint; rather, they publish research that is vetted by peer review.
“As practicing physicians, our editors recognize our responsibility to doctors and patients,” wrote Eric Rubin, editor-in-chief of NEJM and adjunct professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in his response to Martin’s letter, STAT reported. “We use rigorous peer review and editorial processes to ensure the objectivity and reliability of the research we publish.” He emphasized the importance of medical journals’ editorial independence.
Read the STAT article
New England Journal of Medicine gets swept up in U.S. attorney inquiry into alleged bias
