Editing Scientific American (section)

== Scientific and political debate ==
In April 1950, the U.S. [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] ordered ''Scientific American'' to cease publication of an issue containing an article by [[Hans Bethe]] that appeared to reveal classified information about the thermonuclear [[hydrogen bomb]]. Subsequent review of the material determined that the AEC had overreacted. The incident was important for the "new" ''Scientific American''{{'}}s history, as the AEC's decision to burn 3,000 copies of an early press-run of the magazine containing the offending material appeared to be "[[book burning]] in a free society" when publisher Gerard Piel leaked the incident to the press.<ref>Lewenstein, B. V. (1987). 'Public Understanding of Science' in America, 1945 – 1965. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, pp. 280 – 284</ref>

In the October 2020 issue of the magazine, it endorsed [[Joe Biden]] for the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]], citing [[Donald Trump]]'s rejection of scientific evidence, especially during the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Rachel |date=September 17, 2020 |title='Scientific American' Breaks 175 Years Of Tradition, Endorses A Presidential Nominee |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/17/913881019/scientific-american-breaks-tradition-endorses-a-presidential-candidate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117190626/https://www.npr.org/2020/09/17/913881019/scientific-american-breaks-tradition-endorses-a-presidential-candidate |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |access-date=October 16, 2023 |work=National Public Radio}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Niedzwiadek |first=Nick |date=September 15, 2020 |title=Scientific American backs Biden in first-ever endorsement |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/15/scientific-american-backs-biden-415132 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116154112/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/09/15/scientific-american-backs-biden-415132 |archive-date=November 16, 2023 |access-date=October 16, 2023 |work=Politico}}</ref> In the column reporting the endorsement, the magazine's editors said, "''Scientific American'' has never endorsed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history. This year we are compelled to do so. We do not do this lightly."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=September 5, 2020 |title=Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-endorses-joe-biden/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915132815/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-endorses-joe-biden/ |archive-date=September 15, 2020 |access-date=September 15, 2020 |magazine=Scientific American}}</ref> In September 2024 and for the second time in its history, for the same reason, ''Scientific American'' endorsed [[Kamala Harris]] for the [[2024 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vote for Kamala Harris to Support Science, Health and the Environment |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vote-for-kamala-harris-to-support-science-health-and-the-environment/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916203104/http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vote-for-kamala-harris-to-support-science-health-and-the-environment/ |archive-date=September 16, 2024 |access-date=September 17, 2024 |website=Scientific American }}</ref>

In November 2024 editor-in-chief [[Laura Helmuth]] resigned from Scientific American following an apology for a social media post in which she characterized some supporting Trump as fascists.<ref name="Helmuth resigns" /> Throughout her tenure, many critics (including some of Scientific American's former writers<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reason.com/video/2022/08/16/michael-shermer-how-scientific-american-got-woke/|title=Michael Shermer: How Scientific American Got Woke}}</ref>) objected to what they viewed as the magazine's shift towards social justice politics at the expense of its scientific credibility.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://reason.com/2024/11/18/how-scientific-americans-departing-editor-helped-degrade-science/|title='Scientific American' Departing Editor Helped Degrade Science}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/scientific-american-star-wars-jedi-are-problematic/|title=Scientific American: 'Star Wars,' Jedi Problematic}}</ref>