WhyThe BMJwill no longer report on unsubstantiated press releases

England’s new workforce plan is a propaganda masterclass in glossing over the gaps

“…A year ago we decided that we would no longer report on unsubstantiated press releases, and we will continue to take this stand (doi:10.1136/bmj.o1878). 11 But it is time that governments, institutions, and industry placed the public good above their self-motivated agendas. The BMJ is unique among medical journals in its journalism, so the primary responsibility is on other major news outlets, national broadcasters, and newspapers, to join us in no longer being mindless pawns of authority.…”

NHS workforce plan aims to train thousands more doctors and open up apprenticeship schemes

“…The press release did not include a copy of the plan, and the plan itself was not published until the morning of Friday 30 June. In line with The BMJ ’s policy,2 this story was not published until the full documentation relating to the plan had been released.…”

Infodemic, misinformation, and unsubstantiated press releases

“…Abbasi, writing about why The BMJ will no longer report on unsubstantiated press releases,1 highlights a global trend of pressurising newspapers and journals to print unverified claims. Today, the press is largely subsumed by propaganda and is no longer Edmund Burke’s “fourth estate of democracy.”2 Research papers submitted to The BMJ are peer reviewed with declarations of conflicts of interest—press releases evade such checks.…”