Heads They Win, Tails We Lose

The document argues that corporate interests corrupt federal science through research suppression, scientist intimidation, and the manipulation of regulatory processes. It details how these entities shape public perception by promoting false uncertainty and utilizing 'revolving door' officials to capture regulatory agencies. While acknowledging initial steps taken by the Obama administration to improve transparency and ethics, the report calls for comprehensive federal reforms, including stronger whistleblower protections, stricter conflict-of-interest rules for advisory panels, and increased transparency regarding corporate lobbying and funding.

• Corporations employ several direct methods to manipulate scientific research, including terminating research that threatens their profits, intimidating scientists through litigation or job threats, using biased study designs, and utilizing ghostwritten articles to hide corporate sponsorship.
• To undermine scientific consensus and avoid regulation, private interests use public relations strategies to exaggerate scientific uncertainty, vilify researchers, promote experts outside the relevant field, and use front groups to maintain a facade of independence.
• The 'revolving door'—where individuals move between high-level government roles and regulated industries—creates financial conflicts of interest that can lead to 'regulatory capture,' where agencies act as advocates for the industries they are meant to regulate.
• Corporate influence extends to the legislative and judicial branches, where massive spending on lobbying and campaign contributions encourages members of Congress to challenge scientific consensus, and multimillion-dollar judicial elections allow special interests to influence the admission of scientific evidence.
• The Obama administration implemented several measures to restore scientific integrity, including appointing top scientists to senior roles, issuing guidelines for agency scientific integrity policies, and increasing transparency through the Open Government Directive and the release of White House visitor logs.
• The report recommends essential federal reforms, such as passing stronger whistleblower protection laws, restricting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from interfering in agency scientific work, and reforming the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) to limit conflicts of interest on advisory panels.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (n.d.). Heads They Win, Tails We Lose. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/heads-they-win-summary.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Heads They Win, Tails We Lose. n.d. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/heads-they-win-summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Heads They Win, Tails We Lose |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/heads-they-win-summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientistsndheads, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Heads They Win, Tails We Lose}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/heads-they-win-summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }