German edition of “The Local” breaks PNAS embargo on “fluffy dinosaurs” accidentally

A German edition of an English-language international news site unintentionally broke the embargo on a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) study of feathers and dinosaurs earlier today.

The study was embargoed until 3 p.m. Eastern, but The Local’s story went live at 17:17 Central European Time, almost four hours earlier.

Ann Griswold, of the PNAS news office, tells Embargo Watch:

The editor was working from a non-PNAS press release and misunderstood the timing of the embargo lift.

The site took down the story this afternoon, and reposted it at 3 p.m. Eastern when the embargo lifted.

You can read the always-insightful Brian Switek on the findings at Nature News.

Hat tip: Kate Travis