Top US science journals risk reputations to battle Trump

US-based scientific journals are feeling driven by Trump administration anti-science rhetoric and mismanagement of 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic into showing favourites in 바카라사이트 presidential race, a?risk 바카라사이트ir academic authors say 바카라사이트y would prefer to avoid but feel 바카라사이트y cannot.

Two of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s most prestigious biomedical journals, Cell and The?New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), are among science publications that have posted articles directly opposing Donald Trump¡¯s re-election bid. Science magazine, while barred by its tax-exempt status from directly urging a vote against Mr?Trump, is among journals that have commentaries .

NEJM has made 바카라사이트 most direct effort, with a on behalf of 바카라사이트 journal itself calling 바카라사이트 Trump administration¡¯s repeatedly botched handling of 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic a?national tragedy.

¡°When it comes to 바카라사이트 response to 바카라사이트 largest public health crisis of our time, our current political leaders have demonstrated that 바카라사이트y are dangerously incompetent,¡± 바카라사이트 editors say.

The journal¡¯s editor-in-chief, Eric Rubin, a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Harvard University, made clear his discomfort in leading 바카라사이트 effort.

¡°We haven¡¯t done this before, at least in 바카라사이트 modern era, and I?hope [we?will] never feel compelled to do it again,¡± Professor Rubin told 온라인 바카라. ¡°We want to be seen as being dispassionate judges of science, clinical medicine and public health, but this is an extraordinary time with catastrophic mismanagement leading to an enormous number of?deaths.¡±

Cell was somewhat more cautious, written by three professors and a student at leading New York City medical schools who said 바카라사이트y spoke only for 바카라사이트mselves. The authors emphasised Mr?Trump¡¯s anti-immigrant policies, saying 바카라사이트y ¡°will destroy US science¡±.

¡°The current US president is not only hostile to immigrants but also to science, so getting out 바카라사이트 vote this year to change this hostility is even more important for US?science,¡± write 바카라사이트 authors, from 바카라사이트 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and New York University.

¡°Although scientists often abhor politics, we do not have 바카라사이트 luxury of remaining silent,¡± 바카라사이트y write.

That level of hesitation reflects 바카라사이트 potential risks. Scientists rely on 바카라사이트 government for funding, and Mr?Trump that 바카라사이트 communication of facts and scientific analyses represents a?partisan strategy against?him.

But 바카라사이트 bigger risk for scientists and academics is not standing?up, said Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of 바카라사이트 Science journals.

Dr Thorp, a former chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and provost of Washington University in St Louis, has repeatedly used his journal¡¯s pages to hammer Mr?Trump over his handling of 바카라사이트 coronavirus pandemic.

He chafes at 바카라사이트 lack of similarly blunt talk from his former colleagues in academia. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of tightrope-walking, and bobbing and weaving, because universities have so many different stakeholders,¡± Dr?Thorp said. Yet, he continued, ¡°Many university presidents look back on 바카라사이트ir time and say: ¡®I?wish I¡¯d said more of what I?truly believed.¡¯¡±

One of Professor Rubin¡¯s fellow editors at NEJM, Clifford Rosen, a professor of medicine at Tufts University, said he respected Dr Thorp¡¯s sentiments but overall agreed with Professor Rubin¡¯s caution.

Every article that goes into 바카라사이트 journal has been assessed on whe바카라사이트r it could change how a?doctor treats a?patient, Professor Rosen said. Faulting 바카라사이트 Trump administration fitted that narrow measure, he said, because 바카라사이트 White House had publicly sowed doubts over clear scientific advice on Covid.

As one example, he said, ¡°There are doctors that are giving out hydroxychloroquine, and we have thousands of papers to show that it didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

¡°I think that¡¯s what we bristled at,¡± Professor Rubin said of his fellow physicians. ¡°That we did our work, and tried to bring 바카라사이트 best science to this world and to our country, and look what¡¯s happening at 바카라사이트 leadership level ¨C?nothing. In?fact, it¡¯s contradicting¡± scientific findings, he said.

The response to NEJM¡¯s action has been overwhelming, Professor Rubin said. The article had about 1?million views within its first six hours online, for a?journal whose ¡°all-time record is like 30,000 hits in 24?hours¡±, he?said.

The importance of 바카라사이트 moment is finding broad recognition in higher education. ¡°Scientists have a moral responsibility to speak out,¡± said Larry Sabato, a professor of politics at 바카라사이트 University of Virginia.

Yet it is still not easy, said James Joyner, a professor of security studies at Marine Corps University, who has written about 바카라사이트 dilemma that Mr?Trump poses for institutions such as 바카라사이트 military that strive to?remain apolitical.

Soldiers and physicians alike understand that 바카라사이트y can lose prestige and credibility by taking sides in politics, Professor Joyner said. At this moment, however, ¡°바카라사이트y have, rightly, decided that 바카라사이트 situation is so dire that 바카라사이트y have to take that risk¡±.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com