Examining Journal-Journalism Embargoes

At Shots, NPR’s health blog, Scott Hensley discusses the merits of journals’ press embargoes. In gathering opinions on the practice, Hensley writes that “some say embargoes breed journalistic dependency and laziness.” He also highlights the blog Embargo Watch, written by Reuters Health's Ivan Oransky, which tracks journal-journalism embargo controversies. Most recently, Oransky details what he calls the “PNAS problem” that occurs when certain papers aren’t posted online when the embargo lifts. “I suppose journalists could refuse to publish stories on papers until they’re available online,” Oransky writes. “But I think that’s highly impractical.”