EMBARGOES:
Public Lashings and Blackballing Enforce System Built on Trust
Eliot Marshall
What happens when journalists or scientists break the embargo rules? Most journal editors interviewed by Science said they could not recall ever withdrawing a paper from publication because an author had spoken out of turn to reporters. Three said this has happened at least once, but none could name a scientist who had been punished. Some journals have, however, barred reporters from receiving embargoed material when they break the rules and denounced them in editorials.