Reporting Health Consequences of War

To the Editor I read with interest the Viewpoint by Dr Greenland and colleagues and the response by JAMA editors Drs Curfman and Bibbins-Domingo regarding the appropriate role of medical journals in health crises associated with war or political disorder. Greenland and colleagues argued that journals should abstain from publishing political views that are not directly informed by knowledge of medicine or public health. The editors responded that JAMA will continue to publish “scholarly articles addressing the health consequences of war when they make a valuable contribution to issues and discussions of importance to the health care community.” As a former chief editor, I found the former argument more compelling for 2 reasons.