The New York Times (in its Media & Advertising section, mind, not its Science section) reports that Reed Elsevier has come up with a way to provide free medical information to those poor oncologists who can’t afford multiple subscriptions and aren’t connected to a research institution with a library. They can sign up for a new service that will be funded by advertising! Voila – access. And lots of new advertising revenue for Reed Elsevier, since the market for advertising in journals with small subscription bases has dried up because nobody can afford their journals.

Monique Fayad, an Elsevier senior vice president, said the total online advertising market was growing “in double digits” and added, “We expect it will be a $1 billion opportunity within the next two years.”

So, let me get this straight: Having big pharma fund access is okay, but public funding is not because it might corrupt the peer review process. Huh?