Re: Calculating the Cost : an author rejoinder

["Peter Banks" <pbanks@diabetes.org>]

In a bracingly insulting way,  Phil raises some important issues.

To me, a largely unexamined question is "What is the role of government in
scholarship and in the dissemination of ideas?" Only Pat Schroeder of AAP
has discussed this in any depth (not surprisingly, given her long-standing
concern with the politization of science).

It is rather extraordinary to me that so little of the discussion of OA
has addressed the increased role of the government in the dissemination of
ideas through scholarly publishing. Were students of media law and the
history of journalism involved in this debate (as they should be,
probably), they would likely instantly point out the danger of putting the
government in charge of the dissemination of critical ideas.

There seems to be an assumption among many OA advocates that a producer
pays model (which is, in many cases, a government pays model, since
authors fees are paid for with government funds) leads to a freer flow of
ideas and information. You only have to look at the conduct of this
extremely secretive administration to question whether politicians can
ever be trusted to safeguard scientific dialogue. Are we really content,
knowing how funding for controversial areas can dry up in the political
wind, to empower the government to decide whether to allow grantees to use
grant funds to publish papers in areas like bioweapons, contraception,
family planning, stem cell research, or many other controversial topics?

The US has a strong legal tradition against any sort of prior restraint
dating back to the 1931 case Near v. Minnesota. We should be very, very
careful before undermining one of the most important safeguards to free
expression we have--that tradition against any form a prior restraint,
which survived even the Pentagon Papers case.

Peter Banks
Publisher
American Diabetes Association
1701 North Beauregard Street
Alexandria, VA 22311
703/299-2033
FAX 703/683-2890
Email: pbanks@diabetes.org