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Isn't balanced reporting a funcion of good journalism?
- Andrew J Ashworth (10 March 2006)
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Andrew J Ashworth, GP Davidson's Mains Medical Centre, EDINBURGH, EH4 5BP
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We know that our editor is upset that an editor in a similar position to her was sacked for disagreeing with the Medical Association he worked for. Last week she devoted a lot of her energy to what amounts to positioning the BMJ against the Canadian Medical Association.[1] To date, I have been unable to find any "News" item putting the point of view of the Canadian Medical Association. While it appears that the Editor of the BMJ has a view of domestic politics that is consistent with the democratically held view of the BMA (a position the Editor of the Canadian Journal did not enjoy), her extended foray into the International Relations between Medical Associations is bound to create difficulty for the BMA's leaders and thereby, its members. Has she considered what impact the principles she is touting in a free country will affect those Medical Politicians and Editors in Medical Associations who operate without the freedom she takes for granted? John Hoey has been sacked - that is news, the rants of an "ad hoc committee of journalists" is manufactured news, Fiona Godlee's posturing is an abuse of her Editorial Power. If not arrested by the wise heads who run the BMA, perhaps this use of opinion under the guise of "news" should be addressed by the PCC. Neither the BMA nor the BMJ is being advanced by this matter - we should see equal BMJ space devoted to the Chair of the CMA for his view and then the matter should be dropped. [1] A big mistake Fiona Godlee BMJ 2006;332, doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7540.0-f Competing interests: Fiona Godlee has rejected a personal view in which I implied the BMJ and BMA were the subject of party political bias |
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