Absolutely. If you think scientists are free to do as they please, report as they please, you are very mistaken. Pressure, money, politics and a host of other negative factors all figure heavily into the environment that scientists have to operate.
You know this ... as a scientist?
I am actually, a scientist, and that is completely wrong. That is precisely why safeguards such as tenure at Universities, and rigorous peer review to receive grants, and then publish results, are in place.
Can bad apples abuse the system and still find loopholes? Sure? Does it happen? Yes, in very rare and isolated cases, and when it does, there are very severe and harsh repercussions. How many other jobs can you, and will you, be fired from, and never be able to find work again in the field in your lifetime, because you tried to mislead someone?
Is there pressure to perform? Yes, just like any job. The difference is ethics, integrity, and performing "good, evidence based, hypothesis driven science" is the standard by which scientists are measured. If you can't/don't/won't do that, you won't even last through graduate school, let alone develop any sort of career where you are successful.
Are politics involved? Not in the least bit.
Are there pressures for money? That's just downright laughable. Any researcher knows they could go into industry and make at least 50% more. Scientists aren't in it for the money. They're in it for the pure joy of scientific discovery.
Scientific investigation is actually free from so many of the constraints and pressures of modern industry/business that lead to unscrupulous behavior.
