Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took aim at reputed journals such as the Lancet and said the agency will create “in-house” publications instead.
On his plans for the department to create its own journals, Kennedy said they would “become the preeminent journals, because if you get [NIH] funding, it is anointing you as a good, legitimate scientist.
“We’re probably going to stop publishing in the Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and those other journals because they’re all corrupt,” Kennedy said during an appearance on the “Ultimate Human” podcast. He also described the journals as being under the control of pharmaceutical companies.
This is particularly hilarious given Kennedy’s efforts, described in the OP article to have HHS’s imprimatur become the ‘Gold Standard’ for scientific research, through in-house journals.
I am afraid this is getting more and more dangerous as he settles into his role for which he is vastly under-qualified. There is this, and his recent sharp policy change about recommending Covid vaccines only for a narrow at-risk group. Early on, he promised that if people wanted to get vaccines that they could do so. But he did not keep his word, as I interpret it. If insurance companies limit their coverage now, of course more people will face choices of getting the vaccine or paying their bills. Healthy people are still capable of being hospitalized with Covid, transmitting it to vulnerable people, and of course anyone can get long Covid.
Each unqualified appointment seems far too much like something dreamed up in the writers’ room of some TV political-satire comedy series. “Let’s add a Health and Human Services secretary from a famous political family—who is shunned by that family due to being a wack-job. And let’s give him a brain worm. Not a musical or metaphorical brain worm. A real one!”
“And how about some bizarre billionaire who buys his way into the administration in the name of government efficiency—and he gets big laughs through sight gags like carrying a toilet bowl into an office building and showing up at political events with a giant chainsaw!”
“And how about a Secretary of Education who made her millions in the championship wrestling business. And get this: her first job is to eliminate her entire department and her own position on the Cabinet!”
“How about a Homeland Security head who shot her dog? How about a ‘reality TV’ petty-claims court judge who finds herself U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C.? How about a Secretary of Defense who was a morning news host who nearly killed a marching band drummer on live TV while throwing an axe at a bullseye target?”
“Come on, people. Even in a political satire, we’ve got to keep things semi-realistic or our audience simply won’t buy into it. I mean, your ideas are interesting but just way too far-fetched.”
As to RFK Jr.'s “peer-reviewed” medical journal, he should consult with Ken Ham:
Ken knows a lot about “professional” and “peer reviewed” journals where the “answers” are predetermined and all authors must adhere to a strict thought regime agreement.
Of course, the only thing potentially “cutting edge” about the Answers Research Journal is from paper cuts if somebody bothered to route the PDF it to their laser printer.
(Yes. I’m in a foul mood today. And considering the headline about RFK Jr and the White House ordering the cancellation of bird flu vaccine development, I’m also in a fowl mood.)
The H5N1 vaccine has been superceded by the new disease propagation policy called C1S1 (catch one spread one.)
If he were merely underqualified, that would be an improvement. But he holds dangerously wrong ideas the truth of which he is cocksure. He also holds a deep antipathy to legitimate authorities in health and science, and intends to use his power to ensure they have as little influence as possible.
