During the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Obama complained about how scientists and policymakers in the George W. Bush Administration were perverting the free expression of science. While our choice of examples may have differed, we were in hearty agreement that the government had turned its back on science in the one area we track intensively: science pertaining to salt and health. In fact, the Salt Institute was forced to ask the federal courts to prevent the executive branch from ignoring the data quality standards of the federal Data Quality Act – and the courts demurely determined that the executive branch was immune to judicial oversight in the way it uses scientific data – the final arbiter of its own DQA compliance.

Unsurprisingly, one of President Obama’s early initiatives was to issue, in March 2009, a Memorandum on Scientific Integrity with a promise to have a plan in place to correct the problem by mid-2009. The plan has not yet been released. Examples of impaired integrity in government use of science continue.

One of the most vocal proponents of improving scientific integrity has been Bush-bashing investor George Soros (disclosure: at one time, Mr. Soros was a part-owner of a Venezuelan salt production facility). Soros’ Open Society Institute funded a study to document the threat to scientific integrity within the federal government (“The Scientists in Government Project”) run by George Washington University . The Federation of American Scientists , Government Accountability Project , Scientists & Engineers for America and Union of Concerned Scientists also provided support.

The Project just released its report, Strengthening Science in Government: Advancing Science in the Public’s Interest , and it makes the case that citizens should be very concerned about the integrity of science as portrayed by government scientists. And, we would add: and science controlled and funded by those same government scientists.

The Report takes as its theme Albert Einstein’s observation about the duty of scientists: “One must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true.” Tellingly, the Report also quotes a senior manager at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) complaining that “We need supervisors who have the courage to speak up for the science.” (Indeed, when the agency head assiduously leads in the opposite direction).

The Report effectively articulates the challenge:

The (Einstein quote) statement above serves not only as a guiding principle of good science, but as a framework for effective, science-based policy-making. The best public policies are built on a foundation of rigorous data and analyses, widely shared among scientists and the public. The fundamental obligations of a science-based society – advancing the public health, protecting the workforce, safeguarding the environment, developing appropriate energy technologies, defending the nation, and much more – depend on a full and open exchange of ideas, methods, findings, and interpretations.

New scientific knowledge constantly builds on existing scientific knowledge. When information is readily shared, new findings can be analyzed and new hypotheses vetted in an ongoing process that continually generates opportunities for further study and analysis. Science flourishes when scientific ideas are given a fair hearing by colleagues, debated on their merits, tested through replication and further research, and revised in light of new understanding.

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Beyond the merits of advancing science, the open exchange of ideas is also cherished because it is concordant with the ideals of a democratic society. Freedom of information is a core belief in the American system.

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An analysis of the approach to science taken by the five White House administrations that preceded that of President Barack Obama explains, “It is naïve to believe that scientific findings are the sole determinant of policy . . . Much of the funding, direction and use of American science is determined by the federal government and the political biases of the dominant party invariably influence the decisions that get made.

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Policy decisions may be based on science, but they are not purely scientific. Preferences and political considerations shape decisions about regulation, research priorities, service delivery, and program development and evaluation. Nonetheless, the integrity of the science and the validity of the data that informs these decisions must be preserved.

But the report then goes on to explain the "pressures on scientists" employed by government (or hired by government scientists, we'd add):

A "unique challenge" for them is that "they may be expected to represent and advocate for official agency positions, regardless of their personal perspective on an issue. Conversely, they may be barred from presenting conclusions or analyses that are inconsistent with an agency’s stance, even if they are speaking as private citizens."

Okay. We agree on the statement of the problem. And we hope the supporters of the report are sincere. Let’s see if the “solution” is more government-knows-best or whether the new Administration is willing to be measured by the metrics of its lofty rhetoric.

Early indications from CDC on the salt issue haven’t been encouraging, but hope springs eternal.