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Scientific American's departing editor and the politicization of science

When magazines like 'Scientific American' are run by ideologues producing biased dreck, it only makes it more difficult to defend the institution of science itself.

One article, to which I wrote a rebuttal for my newsletter, contained countless errors and misinterpretations: Most importantly, it falsely claimed that there is solid evidence youth gender medicine ameliorates adolescent suicidality, when we absolutely do not know that to any degree of certainty. They wrote that the document's problems "help explain why the Cass recommendations differ from previous academic reviews and expert guidance from major medical organisations such as the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the American Academy of Pediatrics." It's not out of the question that parents of trans or gender-questioning kids, who are (unfortunately) more likely to get their information on this subject from media outlets than from carefully conducted efforts like the Cass Review, will 'learn' from SciAm that blockers and hormones are safe, effective, and likely to reduce suicidality—even as the jury is still out on all these claims.

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