| (NOTE: Shortly after this letter was sent, and in response to it, Ms.
Spayd reminded Washington Post reporters to inquire about conflicts
of interest and to disclose them.) Letter to Ms. Liz Spayd Concerning Articles With No Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest
March 23, 2001
Ms. Liz Spayd
National News Editor
Washington Post
1150 15th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20071-0070
Re: Articles with no disclosure of conflicts of interest
Dear Ms. Spayd:
I write to you concerning an article (“Study Tallies Americans’ Exposure to Toxins”) by David
Brown, which appeared in yesterday’s Post. The article quotes David Ropeik of the Harvard Center
for Risk Analysis (HCRA). In that article Mr. Ropeik downplays the findings of a recent study
conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — a study concerning possible health
risks associated with 27 chemicals. What was not mentioned was the fact that Mr. Ropeik’s group
has received funding from no fewer than 27 chemical companies/foundations, including Dow
Chemical Company, Exxon Corporation, and the Chemical Manufacturing Association (now the
American Chemistry Council). Accompanying this letter is the full list of the chemical funders of
the HCRA.
The public is entitled to know about such conflicts in order to make more informed decisions about
the reliability of the experts quoted. Otherwise, the impression is that such experts are “neutral”
scientists with no vested interest in the matters upon which they offer opinions. My point is not that
such financial ties categorically discredit or disqualify any expert, but rather that such information
is useful to the public to consider. In that general regard, last year a study in the New England
Journal of Medicine (vol. 342, #22) found that “News-media stories about medications may include
inadequate or incomplete information about the benefits, risks, and costs of the drugs as well as the
financial ties between the study groups or experts and pharmaceutical manufacturers.” (See abstract accompanying this letter.)
Last month I coauthored a letter (with Steven Gurney of NRDC) to the Post concerning a scientist
quoted in a Post story about global warming. That story failed to mention that the scientist quoted
had once served as a consultant to Exxon, Shell, ARCO, Ford and GM, among others. (A copy of
that letter also accompanies this letter.) There are yet other such examples; I would be glad to
provide them to you upon request.
As you well know, the problem of conflicts of interest in science is itself more and more in the news.
Given that fact, the public interest would be well served by news reporters disclosing such facts
about the sources they quote.
Accordingly, I respectfully urge the Post to encourage its reporters routinely to ask sources about
possible conflicts of interest and to report that information to your readers.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely Yours,
Ronald Collins
Integrity in Science Project
(202) 332-9110, #322
e-mail: ronc@cspinet.org
encls:
cc: Jackson Diehl, Howard Kurtz, Michael Getler, & David Brown.
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