An internal review, meaning an investigation the organization runs into its own conduct using a committee it appoints, has cleared the American Diabetes Association of censoring five members ejected from its scientific conference in New Orleans last June. The committee concluded the ejections followed from a code-of-conduct violation, not from what those members' editorial actually said.
Five ADA members were removed from the organization's scientific sessions on June 5 while handing out a printed commentary outside a hall where the director of the National Institutes of Health was scheduled to speak. The commentary had been published April 29 in Diabetes Care, the ADA's own journal, and criticized cuts to federal research funding. The dispute comes down to this: the members say they were removed because of the document's content; the ADA's review says they were removed for how and where it was distributed.
What the committee found
The five-person committee, selected by the ADA, rejected two claims from the people who were ejected. It dismissed the argument that the organization acted in reaction to the substance of the commentary. It also rejected claims that the ADA called local police during the incident.
On the conduct question, the committee pointed to a code of conduct that ADA conference attendees agree to follow. That code prohibits handing out printed materials in certain areas of the venue. The committee concluded the five members violated that rule, and the ejection followed from the rule violation rather than from the commentary's message about federal funding cuts.
The ADA published the findings Tuesday evening in a press release. The review is now being sent to the ADA board for action.
Why the dispute is likely to continue
Nearly three months have passed since June 5, and the controversy has not subsided. The committee that produced the review was selected by the ADA, which gives critics clear grounds to question whether the process was independent. The findings appear unlikely to settle the dispute. The board now has the review and will decide what further action, if any, it takes.