Quite the opposite — as has been true for a long time. The highest-profile journals almost always move faster than most of the second-tier journals. That’s one reason they are high profile — people who know they have a hot story aren’t afraid to send it to them. What’s more, Science and Nature and Cell will also listen to your requests to move quickly, if you tell them your competitors are about to publish elsewhere. (They won’t necessarily accept your request, but they will listen.) They don’t want to get scooped any more than you do.

Again, these journals are top-tier journals because they publish the most exciting science. It’s exciting because it’s out first. The journals have a strong interest in getting things published before they are scooped; if they move slowly, top work gets sent elsewhere and the journal’s prestige drops.

The 20-day turnaround here is unusual, but far from unique, even in the pre-electronic days.