Topic: Retractions

The Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine retracted high-profile studies that had denounced hydroxychloroquine after independent reviewers could not verify the underlying data provided by the company Surgisphere. The retractions followed revelations that the data was likely fraudulent and the study lacked scientific credibility. Consequently, the World Health Organization has resumed its clinical trials of the drug for treating coronavirus.

Fox News retracted a story linking Seth Rich to WikiLeaks, leading to an advertiser boycott of Sean Hannity's show by companies like Cars.com and Peloton. Hannity blamed liberal watchdog groups like Media Matters for the pressure. The hosts discuss the change in leadership at Fox News and the media's use of the term "debunked" to shut down further investigation into the murder.

The website Retraction Watch reports on the correction of several scientific papers that originally claimed conservative beliefs were linked to psychoticism. The corrected data actually suggests that liberal political beliefs are more closely linked to these traits. The hosts discuss the "crisis in science" regarding data manipulation and p-values.

The website Retraction Watch highlights numerous instances of scientific misconduct, including the removal of papers due to falsified data and unauthorized data release. Recent reports involve journals like PLOS One and cases of PhD revocations and government funding bans for researchers. The site serves as a repository for tracking plagiarism and image reuse in academic publishing.

Science Magazine retracted a high-profile study from December 2014 that claimed face-to-face conversations with gay canvassers could change attitudes toward same-sex marriage. The retraction followed an investigation by graduate students at Berkeley who found the data could not be replicated. Ivan Oransky of Retraction Watch highlighted how the lead author was pressured to keep quiet about concerns to avoid being labeled a troublemaker.

The EU media report suggests that internet user data should be made available via court order to identify those "harming others" through media. Additionally, it proposes legally imposed rights of reply and mandatory retractions for unverified information. The hosts compare this proposed framework to the state-funded BBC model in the UK.