News and independence

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     I have seen the issue of editorial autonomy "from both sides."1 In my experience, adding "news" to a scientific journal makes the issue of content ownership and final authority over publication decisions related to the "news" component more difficult. With respect, I also note that the editors' suggestion that the ICMJE's statement on editorial independence is intended to apply to both the "scientific content" and the "news content" of a medical journal is not clearly supported by the source document quoted. My reading of that statement is that the main (if not exclusive) focus is on the scientific content. Editors, editorial boards and publishers need to establish a clear understanding about the roles (and limits of authority) of all parties, ideally in advance of controversial situations.

    REFERENCE

    The editorial autonomy of CMAJ [editorial]. CMAJ 2006;174(1):9.[Free Full Text](Doug Craig)

    http://www.100md.com/html/DirDu/2006/07/22/11/94/26.htm