Q J Med 2004; 97: 185
QJM vol. 97 no. 4 (c) Association of Physicians 2004; all rights reserved.
Editorial |
Category shift
The New Yorker journalist, A.J. Liebling, once made a sardonic joke about the freedom of the press being guaranteed only to those that own one. It explains why rich men who want to sway public opinion become newspaper proprietors, and appoint editors who, in print at least, agree with them. The famous headline, ‘It's the Sun wot won it’, after the Tories were re-elected in 1992 may have over-stated the influence of owner of that newspaper, but it certainly indicated his intention.Unlike the Sun, the QJM does not aspire to change the way people cast their votes. Rather than grind an axe of its own, it prefers to provide a forum where others may debate. Recently, we’ve published two articles offering very different views about whether medical journals should get involved in political matters. Although we believe that readers enjoy and are stimulated by divergent opinions, we have become aware that publishing this sort of thing at the front of the journal under the heading of editorial can be puzzling. Even if these articles are signed, readers may wonder if the views they express are those of the Editor or of its owners, the Association of Physicians.
We welcome and will continue to publish articles that contain controversial, unfashionable or eccentric arguments. But to avoid ambiguity, they will, from now on, appear in the Commentaries section of the journal or, if short, in the Correspondence section. Editorials will become an occasional category used by the Editor to indicate changes in policy, to clarify policy, or to discuss issues relating to the QJM.
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