Fourteen of 19 members of the Canadian Medical Association Journal's editorial board have quit, saying they have no faith the Canadian Medical Association is serious about the issue of editorial autonomy.

An excerpt from the CP story on globeandmail.com:

“The primary reason for our resignation is our loss of trust in the CMA leadership in relation to the CMAJ. As already stated in our earlier communications, we were deeply concerned by the firing, without declared cause, of two outstanding and highly successful editors who had led the CMAJ very effectively.”

Dr. P.J. Devereaux, spokesperson for the departing board members, said the CMA and newly appointed interim editor Dr. Noni MacDonald have shut out the editorial board, refusing to respond to their attempts to be involved in the rebuilding of the journal.

“We'll keep pushing for our objective,” Dr. Devereaux, a cardiologist from McMaster University, said from Hamilton.

“There's no question they'd love us to go away We're not saying we're going away, but we don't want to lend our credibility to the journal.”

Four members of the editorial board did not tender their resignation. Edmonton cardiologist Dr. Paul Armstrong, who has been involved in the effort to ensure the independence of the journal, chose to stay.