To expunge politically sensitive topics from medical journals is “folly”

John Hoey, until recently editor in chief of CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association, last week broke his silence and spoke out about his firing and the firing of his deputy from their posts (New England Journal of Medicine 2006;354:1982-3).

The association has never admitted to firing the two editors, but Dr Hoey writes that, on 20 February, after almost 10 years as editor in chief, “I was fired without cause,” along with Anne Marie Todkill, senior deputy editor and 12 year veteran. Until now, both he and Dr Todkill have declined to comment on their dismissals because of a confidentiality agreement with the CMA.

Dr Hoey said that the CMA gave no reasons “for the firings other than, initially, to ‘freshen’ the CMAJ and, later, for ‘irreconcilable differences’ (so far unspecified) between me and the CMA.” The most striking of these differences was …