Dear Professor Sackett
I write as a journal reader (most); journal contributor (occasional) but
journal editor NEVER.
I have no INTERNAL knowledge of the issues concerned here. There is real and
reasonable concern about censorship, when the output from journals is
controlled by proprietors. However, I disagree on the stance you have taken
and the suggested response.
I can think of scenarios where an editorial board may be poor. They might
publish pornographic material (whatever that means) or more importantly
material weighted with political or other bias in its choice, editing or
delivery. How are decisions about such material regulated?
1.The proprietors can act, as here, in taking the scalp of the editor or
others
2.Readers can stop reading and citing (because the journal is less credible
for its content or its approach to editorial freedom)
3.Authors can switch journals (for the same reason as 2.)
Unless the AMA recants or gives a better explanation of its actions to
justify the scalping of the editor, the credibility of the journal is
diminished. There may be other reasons between AMA and the JAMA editor of
which we are ignorant. If we see the offending article, perhaps we can make
our own choices.
On current evidence we cannot advocate subscription to JAMA; nor citation of
future publications, until we see whether there is a change in editorial
policy. If the AMA have acted inappropriately, we should punish them in the
only way that will have any effect: stop subscribing to the journal; stop
citing the journal; direct our submissions elsewhere and ultimately bring
down its impact factor...
Your loud *tutt* a la mode anglaise but with a committment to re-building
the journal's credibility does not seem an appropriate response. Although I
appreciate your concerns for good people on the JAMA staff.
Mine are very personal reflections on these issues, which I accept may not
agree with other tastes. Thank goodness that the EBH mailbase group has a
tolerant editor... Regards
Terry Aspray
-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Sackett <[log in to unmask]>
To: Centre for EBM Members <[log in to unmask]>; EBH Discussion
Group <[log in to unmask]>
Cc: David & Zoe Brown <[log in to unmask]>; Jordi Gol <[log in to unmask]>;
Sharon Straus <[log in to unmask]>; Finlay
McAlister <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 19 January 1999 09:37
Subject: Re: Sacking of JAMA's editor; the irrelevance of the subject
matter, and where do we go from here?
>
>1. subject matter:
>
>although list-members' desire to know the subject matter & circumstances
>of george's firing is quite understandable, i'd like to stress that my
>outrage about this and all other censorship has nothing to do with
>content.
>
>for folks like me, content is completely and totally irrelevant. the poem
>or novel or painting or musical content or clinical journal article can be
>as dumb or silly or frivilous or mischievious or offensive as can be.
>
>at issue is that the reviewers and editors of a journal decided to
>publish a paper, and that the editor got fired for it.
>
>editorial freedom has been suppressed at JAMA, and i think that calls for
>massive protest.
>
>2. where do we go from here?
>
>in addition to raising hell about this censorship, we have to decide how
>to treat the journal in the future.
>
>on the one hand, we can boycott JAMA in the future (as a matter principle)
>
>on the other hand (and more important, in my view) we can continue to
>submit papers and help our remaining friends in its editorial team (folks
>like drummond rennie) try to rebuild the journal's credibility.
>
>i'm chosing the latter, and urge the rest of you do the same.
>
>cheers
>dls
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Prof David L. Sackett Email: [log in to unmask]
>Director, Phone: +44-(0)1865-221320
>Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine Fax: +44-(0)1865-222901
>Level 5, John Radcliffe Hospital WWW: http://cebm.jr2.ox.ac.uk/
>Oxford OX3 9DU
>England
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