The circumstances surrounding the rejection reveal the flexibility editors have to adjust the level of rigor of the peer-review process for specific papers.
Lack of understanding of libel laws, the level of professional skills among reporters and editors and limited resources were identified as the main deterrents to good investigative reporting.
They regretted the fact that many newspaper editors tended to be sceptical about the level of public interest in science and thus reluctant to publish stories on science.