The American Medical Association has recommended that the editors of its journal (JAMA) change its procedures for dealing with complaints over undisclosed conflicts of interest by journal authors. The journal laid out its procedures, which attracted much criticism, in an editorial in March (BMJ 2009;338:b1352, doi:10.1136/bmj.b1352).

The journal’s editorial said that people complaining about such conflicts of interest should remain silent while their complaints were investigated.

The editorial has now disappeared from JAMA’s website, and a new, milder editorial appears in the 8 July issue of the journal (JAMA 2009:302:198-9, doi:10.1001/jama.302.2.198).

The BMJ sent emails to JAMA’s editor, Catherine DeAngelis, and the journal’s media relations office asking about the disappearance of the March editorial. The BMJ also asked whether Dr DeAngelis could explain why the new July editorial had toned down the policy outlined in the March editorial.

The response …