The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy outlined nine tenets for scientific integrity emphasizing reproducibility, transparency, and unbiased peer review. Despite seeming unremarkable, these principles reflect a significant shift in the science-government dynamic. Trump's executive order allows political appointees to interpret and define scientific integrity, potentially eroding trust in scientific evidence. The focus shifts from factual rigor to policy alignment, evoking tactics historically used by the tobacco industry to undermine scientific credibility. The implications suggest a manipulation of science to serve political aims rather than relying on credible evidence.
The executive order promises to ensure that "federal decisions are informed by the most credible, reliable, and impartial scientific evidence available." In practice, however, it gives political appointees authority to define scientific integrity and decide which evidence counts and how it should be interpreted.
The changes will likely undermine trust further. Political officials no longer need to rigorously disprove existing findings; they can cast doubt on inconvenient evidence, or demand unattainable levels of certainty.
The executive order opens the door to reshaping science to fit policy goals rather than allowing policy to be guided by the best available evidence. Its tactics echo the "doubt science" pioneered by the tobacco industry.
Collection
[
|
...
]