By Rick BerkeAug. 19, 2026
Co-founder & Executive Editor
Dear Readers,
When we launched STAT more than a decade ago, our mission statement promised that we would deliver “trusted, tough-minded journalism.” Little did we know that trust would be at the core of everything we do.
We hadn’t anticipated the Covid-19 pandemic, when tens of millions of readers turned to STAT for deeply sourced, science-based coverage they could trust. Nor could we have imagined the crisis of trust that has become a defining issue in science. Trust has been shaken in all kinds of ways: by the response to the pandemic, by high-profile scientific misconduct, by politicization of health agencies and demonization of their leaders, by the rapid spread of misinformation and disinformation, and by so much more. Distrust is not always irrational; in too many cases, it reflects real failures of institutions — yes, that sometimes means the press — to be transparent, inclusive, or accountable.
