STATI

Matters

David Suzuki,

David Suzuki

Foundation

 

Depending on your point of view, what’s been going on at
the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) is either
a strange squabble between the academic elite and their
‘bosses or a tense drama about freedom of the press and
the role science plays in the media.

Sign me up for the latter.

It started last month when two editors of CMAJ,
Canada’s leading medical journal, were abruptly fired by the
publisher. The journal’s editorial board promptly wrote a
letter to the publisher requesting that they be reinstated. In
the meantime, an acting editor was hired. He agreed to
take the position, but only if the publisher accepted a gov-
ernance plan that would ensure he and his staff would
maintain their editorial freedom. A week later, he quit. One
can only guess why.

It turns out that the original editor, John Hoey, and the
publisher, CMA Holdings, have been engaged in an
increasingly public battle over editorial independence. In a
January 3, 2006, editorial, Dr. Hoey wrote: “While the Dec.
6, 2005, issue was in preparation, the editorial independ-

 

ence of the journal was compromised when a CMA execu-
tive objected strenuously to a news article we were prepat-
ing on behind-the-counter access to emergency lev-
onorgestrel (Plan B). The objection was made in response

to a complaint from the Canadian Pharmacists Association,

who had learned about the article when they were inter-
viewed by our reporters. The CMA’s objection was con-
veyed to CMAJ’s editors, and to our publisher, who subse-
quently instructed us to withhold the article.”

The publisher denies firing Dr. Hoey because of his
actions, and instead wrote in a letter posted on the CMAJ
website, that it was merely looking for a “fresh approach.”
Others say that the recent resignation of the acting editor
is proof that Dr. Hoey was fired for his insistence on edi-
torial freedom.

It gets stranger. In response to the firings, an ad-hoc
committee of the editorial board published a commentary
piece entitled Editorial autonomy of CMAJ, again on the
journal’s website. In it, the committee reviewed the events
leading up to Dr. Hoey’s firing and concluded: “We view
the episodes as raising serious concern about the integrity
of the journal, its reputation, and its viability in the com-
munity of top medical journals.” This is on the journal’s
own website. Talk about dirty laundry!

On one hand, such a public airing of grievances could
be said to be beneficial to maintaining public trust in
important institutions such as the CMAJ because it lays all
the cards on the table. On the other hand, it could be said
to be making matters worse by making internal squabbles
public and decreasing public trust in journals, research, and
science in general.

One can only hope that something good comes out of
this mess. It would be naive to think that the CMAJ’s ten-
sion between management and editorial staff is an isolated
incident. Indeed, with so much research being funded by
corporations with a profit motive, and journals relying
increasing on advertising, the issue of editorial independ-

Medical journal fracas makes everyone look bat

ence is becoming more and more pressing,

Editorial freedom in a science journal, as in the media
in general, is essential. With science journals, this freedom
must be especially transparent, as editorial interference
could have profound repercussions. Based on information
from the CMAJ website, the publisher of the journal
appears to have crossed the line on more than one occa-
sion.

Let’s hope this is sorted out before the CMAJ is rele-
gated to the backwaters of journal rankings. It deserves
better. A warning published on the journal website by the
editorial committee says as much, although it is overly opti-
mistic: “In our view, any attempt by the CMA to impose its
influence on the editors would be catastrophic for the

CMAJ’s reputation as well as damaging to the reputation of
the CMA.”

It’s a little late for that.

 

 

 

ah ee ay
to ensure any chance of unity among the
variety of values and expectations c current-

 

   

_ HUSSY! THE BOY

- MINE!

oe Cartoon by JJ McCullough

: : SHUT UP! THIS
_ DOESN'T

.-
& GIRLS...
CONCERN YOU!

® GIRLS... @

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