It's a hatchet job

doi:10.1136/bmj.39164.408785.1F

BMJ 2007;334:652 (31 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39164.408785.1F

Letters

Publisher boycott

It's a hatchet job

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

Young and Godlee write: "The BMJ has no wish to see the Lancetdiminished."¹ Well, you could have fooled me. Calling for contributorsto boycott the Lancet will lead to its closure, which wouldalmost certainly benefit the BMJ. Is there a hint of self interestdressed up as moral outrage in this article?

Does anyone believe that boycotting Reed Elsevier will makethe slightest difference to the international arms trade? Itis a sad fact of human existence that the sophistication ofa society is often measured in its weaponry. The arms tradeis loathsome but at least Reed Elsevier is conducting its businessin plain view. It's when it goes underground that you need toworry. I think it would be better if they weren't involved,and I'm sure the board of the Lancet does too. But boycottinga journal that has no control over another part . . . [Full text of this article]