HIV and AIDS: Questions of Scientific and Journalistic Responsibility

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HIV AND AIDS

Science (AAAS) sponsored a meeting - symposium - in San Francisco, to
address: "The Role of HIV in AIDS: Why There is Still a
Controversy." The symposium was organized by Charles Geshekter,
Professor of History at Calfornia State University, Chico. The
symposium and the list of speakers was approved by the Executive
Committee of the Pacific Division, and announced in the 25 January
1994 Pacific Division newsletter. The symposium took place, despite
pressure on the AAAS in May 1994, by Nature and by some scientists not
to allow this symposium, or to change its thrust, for instance in the
article "AAAS criticized over AIDS sceptics' meeting" (Nature 369, 26
May 1994, p. 265).
- Nature's article started: "The American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS) has come under fire from US AIDS
researchers and public health officials for its sponsorship of a meeting
in San Francisco next month of which speakers will dispute the link
between HIV and AIDS...But as criticism of the line-up mounted,
AAAS executive officer Richard Nicholson indicated that the session
might be called off. 'All options are still open, including cancellation',
Nicholson said on Monday."
- Nature quoted Bernie Fields, professor of microbiology at Harvard
Medical School: "This is a real fringe of people surrounding Peter
Duesberg who have been saying these things for a while now. AAAS
sponsorship makes it sound like a real issue when it's not. It think it's a
disgrace."
- Nature quoted David Baltimore: "This is a group of people who
have denied the scientific facts. There is no question at all that HIV is
the cause of AIDS. Anyone who gets up publicly and says the opposite
is encouraging people to risk their lives."9 However, Nature did not
specify which "scientific facts" are "denied". Furthermore the
expression "group of people" is rather vague, and is sweeping in its
characterization possibly involving anyone who talks to Duesberg.
Hence the first sentence quoted above is defective on several counts. In
itself this sentence represents unscientific behavior and tendentious
journalism, both on the part of Baltimore and on the part of Nature.
- Nature also quoted scientists from the Bay area: "Michael Ascher,
of the California Department of Health Services, and Warren
9Kary Mullis deals with this quote in his California Monthly interview. What is
a "fact" for Baltimore (of Imanishi-Kari fame) may not be a fact at all. One of
the criteria of scientific standards is the ability to tell the difference between a
fact, an opinion, a hypothesis, and a hole in the ground.