To the Editor: On January
15, 1999, Dr Anderson "abruptly dismissed" Dr
Lundberg.1 Officially, Lundberg was fired because he
"threatened the historic tradition and integrity of
[JAMA] by inappropriately and inexcusably
interjecting JAMA into a major political debate that
has nothing to do with science or medicine."
What really happened was a major blow to the editorial freedom,
independence, and integrity of a major journal. January 15, 1999, will
be remembered as one of the saddest days of independence in publishing,
a day when Anderson took us 100 years backward or transferred us to the
times of Communist-style management. There are several important points
to learn and remember: