Richard Smith, who knows a thing or two about editing medical journals, makes a persuasive case that they are often an extension of the marketing arm of pharmaceutical companies. If Jeffrey Drazen persists in his denial and believes his NEJM is above such things, perhaps he would agree to declare in each edition the Journal's sources of income, including the numbers of reprints sold and to whom. Then we could judge for ourselves. Meanwhile, as a journalist, I can tell you that Dr Drazen's belief in trusting his sources is misplaced to the point of naivety, whether in science or in any other field of human endeavour. On the other hand his reluctance to apologise quickly for getting things wrong makes him a very professional journalist indeed.
Competing interests Occasional fees directly or indirectly from science, including pharmaceutical, companies for chairing scientific debates.