USDA Calls Scientist Gag Order a "Misunderstanding" - Scientific American

"Hours after the news broke that the U.S. Department of Agriculture e-mailed its scientists ordering them not to speak to the press, and informing them that there would be an immediate halt on press releases, the USDA insisted it isn’t really suppressing its researchers’ communications with the public—because they can still publish peer-reviewed journal articles or give media interviews if the agency approves them.

'What happened yesterday was a misunderstanding,' Christopher Bentley, director of communications for the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), told Scientific American Wednesday. He said a second e-mail had been issued late Tuesday to clear things up about the initial message sent earlier that day. 'The announcement that our administrator sent to staff last night was less a rescinding of anything than it was a clarification,' Bentley said. He also played down the curbs on press releases and public statements, explaining, 'This is what has happened at the transition of every administration…it’s just a pause.'

Yet groups and individuals closely tracking federal science are calling foul on that claim. 'There has never been a ban on scientific information. Other administrations have focused on reining in communications on policy, but not on science,' says Michael Halpern, deputy director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit advocacy organization. 'The USDA scientific integrity policy states that political appointees or any other employees cannot interfere with dissemination of scientific research results. This includes not just scientific publications, but also other ways of communicating with the public that are more accessible and have a broader reach.'"