DistantNews
Support us
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Health & Science

RFK Jr. Faces Backlash Over 'Bullying' Tactics Toward Medical Journal

From The Guardian · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US health secretary, is questioning a medical journal's decision to retract a paper linking vaccines to infant death.
  • Critics accuse Kennedy of attempting to intimidate the journal, potentially violating First Amendment rights.
  • The journal Toxicology Reports removed the paper due to serious methodological flaws that could pose risks to public health.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. health secretary, is demanding explanations from the journal Toxicology Reports regarding its decision to retract a paper that suggested a link between vaccines and infant mortality. Kennedy's inquiry, which he posted on X, requests the journal editor to provide answers by June 25 about the paper's removal.

Public health advocates and legal experts have criticized Kennedy's move, viewing it as an attempt to intimidate and influence the journal's editorial process. Dorit Reiss, a vaccine law expert, suggested that Kennedy might be "stepping close to violating their first amendment rights" by using his official position to pressure a private publisher. Dr. David Gorski, an oncologist critical of the anti-vaccine movement, accused Kennedy of hypocrisy, noting his past pro-free speech stance while now allegedly using his power to influence editorial decisions.

If he is trying to use his position to bully a journal, he is stepping close to violating their first amendment rights.

— Dorit ReissCommenting on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s letter to the medical journal.

Toxicology Reports retracted the paper this spring, citing "serious methodological flaws" that could potentially harm patients and endanger public health. The journal published a notice explaining its decision in place of the removed study. This paper was among three highlighted by The Guardian that Kennedy and his allies have cited to support controversial changes to federal vaccine policies.

Spokespeople for Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment on the criticism. The journal's editor and its publisher, Elsevier, also did not immediately comment. Elsevier previously stated that the paper's recommendations and conclusions posed potential risks to public health if applied in clinical practice. The paper, published in 2021 by Neil Z. Miller, used data from the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) to identify potential links between vaccination and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

To antivaxxers, it’s free speech for me, but not for thee.

— Dr. David GorskiCriticizing Kennedy's actions regarding the journal's editorial decision.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Guardian in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog