The following letter was sent by more than two dozen health, environmental, labor and public interest groups to the editors of USA Today expressing concerns that the paper has been publishing science columns by members of the American Council on Science and Health, without identifying that group as a corporate front group with a history of spinning science for corporate benefactors. For more information, see our fact sheet on the corporate funding of the American Council on Science and Health.

Update: As of June 2019, ACSH’s Vice President of Scientific Affairs Alex Berezow is still listed as an opinion columnist on the USA Today website with no disclosure of Berezow’s leadership staff position at ACSH.

February 9, 2017

Dear Patty Michalski, Editor in Chief, USA Today:

We are writing to express our concern that USA Today continues to publish columns written by members of the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH), a corporate-funded group with a long history of promoting corporate agendas that are at odds with mainstream science. USA Today should not be helping this group promote its false identity as a credible, independent source on science. Your readers deserve accurate information about what and whom this group represents, as they reflect on the content of the columns.

These are no idle allegations. Many of the undersigned health, environmental, labor and public interest groups have been tracking ACSH’s work over the years. We have documented instances in which the group has worked to undermine climate change science, and deny the health threats associated with various products, including second-hand smoke, fracking, pesticides and industrial chemicals – all without being transparent about its corporate backers.

We note that financial documents obtained by Mother Jones show that ACSH has received funding from tobacco, chemical, pharmaceutical and oil corporations. Public interest groups have reported that ACSH received funding from the Koch Foundations between 2005-2011, and released internal documents showing that ACSH solicited $100,000 from Syngenta in 2009 to write favorably about its product atrazine – a donation that was to be “separate and distinct from general operating support Syngenta has been so generously providing over the years.”

At a time when the public is questioning the legitimacy of the news media, we believe it is vital for publications such as USA Today to follow the highest standards of journalistic ethics and serve the public with as much truth and transparency as possible.

We respectfully ask you to refrain from publishing further columns authored by members of the American Council on Science and Health, or at the very least require that the individuals identify the organization accurately as a corporate-funded advocacy group.

Sincerely,

Alaska Community Action on Toxics

Beyond Toxics

Breast Cancer Action

Breast Cancer Fund

Californians for Pesticide Reform

Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Food Safety

Citizens’ Environmental Coalition

Clean and Healthy New York

Community Science Institute

Empire State Consumer Project

Farmworker Association of Florida

Friends of the Earth – US

Greenpeace

HavenBMedia

Healthy Building Network

Health Care Without Harm

Learning Disabilities Association of Maine

Made Safe

Organic Consumers Association

Pesticide Action Network North America

Real Food Media

The 5 Gyres Institute

US Right to Know

Vermont Public Interest Research Group

Women’s Voices for the Earth

Ann Blake, PhD, Environmental & Public Health Consulting

Josh Freeman, MD (Emeritus Chair of Family Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine)

Matthew Anderson, MD (Associate Professor, Dept. of Family and Social Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center)

Martin Donohoe, MD, FACP (Adjunct Faculty, School of Community Health, Portland State University; Board of Advisors, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility)

(identification purposes only)