Paying for bmj.com: Move is understandable but sad end to a decade

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7427.1347

BMJ 2003;327:1347 (6 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7427.1347

Letter

Paying for bmj.com

Move is understandable but sad end to a decade

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—The BMJ is worth its weight in gold. It is sadto see the end of freely exchanged knowledge via the internetand to see that some will have privileged access over others.¹I hope that this is not a return to the days when medical journalswere closed to all but the few. Even in the 21st century someeditors would prefer to keep their journals closed to thoseoutside their discipline. One way of achieving this is to makeit subscription only on proof of membership, which excludesthe sort of debate opened up by the BMJ.

Worryingly, the editors at the BMJ seem unaware that povertyin the United Kingdom, as well as specified "lower and middleincome countries,"¹ means that many people cannot access thepaper BMJ. It is only kept in large city libraries. Such peoplecertainly do not have access . . . [Full text of this article]

Susanne Stevens, human rights activist

Cardiff CF24 3PF soostevens@hotmail.com