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Commentary: Editors must be our gatekeepers

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IN MY last column I raised this question: how can we ensure that popular publications properly reflect ongoing science, while at the same time ensuring that unpopular viewpoints are not inappropriately censored?

In particular, I outlined the controversy surrounding an article published in a newsletter of the American Physical Society's Forum on Physics and Society. The article was written by a journalist and known climate-change sceptic whose arguments have been discredited by many climate scientists over the years. The editors of the non-peer-reviewed newsletter were not familiar with the author, who they assumed was a scientist, and had published the piece to stimulate debate.

Were it not for the web, the publication of a random article in a newsletter of a professional society would not be worth discussing. However, when an article becomes available electronically, supporters can distribute it widely, claiming ...

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