Fed action toward medical journals is “dangerous,” ethicist says

Fed action toward medical journals is “dangerous,” ethicist says
Medscape; by Arthur L. Caplan; 8/26/25
Not so long ago, a letter was sent by a federal prosecutor to a journal editor that I think raises issues that ought to be not partisan and not political, but that physicians and physician researchers have to make clear they oppose... [The editor] got this letter that basically said the US attorney was asking, how does your journal handle “misinformation and competing viewpoints,” among other things... This is a fundamental misunderstanding of what journals are about. As I hope all of you watching understand, journals are aimed at medical people, at researchers, and at people who work in healthcare. They’re not the modality for educating the public... Medical journals - whether you read them or whether you use them to disseminate your research, findings, or clinical experience - ought to be removed from government intrusion.
Publisher's note: Interestingly, Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D., Director, NIH, released this related statement 8/29/25: Leading by example: Embedding principles of academic freedom at NIH.