In a controversial move, Robert F Kennedy Jr has stated his intention to prevent government scientists from publishing in prominent medical journals, alleging corruption. Instead, he aims to establish option, state-operated publications.

During an appearance on the Ultimate Human podcast, the US health secretary asserted, “We’re probably going to stop publishing in the Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, Jama and those other journals, because they’re all corrupt.” He further claimed that these journals are controlled by pharmaceutical companies.

According to Kennedy, the plan involves launching government-run journals intended to become “the preeminent journals.” He believes that funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would legitimize researchers, effectively anointing them “as a good, legitimate scientist.”

The journals targeted by Kennedy-The Lancet, Jama, and the new england Journal of Medicine-are globally recognized for disseminating peer-reviewed medical research. The Lancet and Jama each report over 30 million annual website visits, while the New England Journal of Medicine boasts more than 1 million weekly readers.

Kennedy has also accused the agencies he oversees, including the NIH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug administration, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, of being “sock puppets” for the pharmaceutical industry.

The current Trump administration has considerably reduced scientific research funding, with NIH funding cut by over $3 billion since the previous year. Kennedy has also reportedly eliminated approximately 20,000 health department staff positions.

Criticism and concerns

Adam gaffney,a public health researcher at Harvard Medical School,told the Washington Post that “Banning NIH-funded researchers from publishing in leading medical journals and requiring them to publish only in journals that carry the RFK Jr seal of approval would delegitimize taxpayer-funded research.”

“We’re probably going to stop publishing in the Lancet, New England journal of Medicine, Jama and those other journals, because they’re all corrupt.”

The health secretary’s statements followed the release of a White House report last week that questioned the established medical consensus on vaccines and suggested that pharmaceutical influence has hindered the proper examination of chronic disease causes in children.

Kennedy defended his stance by referencing concerns raised by journal editors themselves regarding pharmaceutical influence, including a 2009 warning from former New England Journal of Medicine editor Marcia Angell, who stated that “it is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published” due to financial ties with pharmaceutical companies.

The funding reductions and staff changes have led some US scientists to consider moving to other countries, with nations like france, Germany, Spain, and China actively recruiting American researchers.

The Debate Over Scientific Publishing