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Tell the FDA to Drop Its Embargo Policy!

Many prominent organizations and agencies like FDA release information with an embargo on it. News organizations agree not to publish this information until a certain date, in exchange for the ability to do more research, which usually means sharing the information with experts in the field so they can provide a more balanced and impartial prospective. The experts agree that they, too, will not reveal the information before the agreed date.

But recently, the FDA prevented reporters from calling around for quotes from experts, saying that it violated the embargo—a major change not only from the way all other major organizations handle news embargos, but a change also from the way FDA has dealt with reporters in the past.

Not surprisingly, journalists are outraged, and we should be as well. The FDA has a policy of transparency, and we rely on reporters to do the digging and write stories that can reveal what the FDA is really up to. If they are shutting down that kind of research, it is the US public that will be impoverished—and possibly endangered.

Please ask the FDA to drop this new embargo policy, and go back to its old approach: reporters can consult with whichever experts they wish before the embargo date, so long as everyone involved assents to the confidentiality agreement. Stand up for medical freedom of speech!

(Please personalize your message if you have the time!)

Recipients

  • Stephen Ostroff
  • cc: Karen Riley, Public Affairs, FDA, Devices and Radiological Health

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FDA News Embargo Policy

Dear [Decision Maker],

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address]
[City, State ZIP]