M1: Discussion Forum 1: Why does reporting on a response’s limitations and flaws give a story more authority and credibility, not less?

Stories and investigations that build on addressing limitations and problems helps establish a more thorough understanding for journalists and others to make decisions and take actions that are necessarily and helpful. Doing so also gives a story more detail about the solution or attempt to solution so people can see what others have tried and whether it was effective. Maybe that depth in research reported can give people ideas that they had not thought before. Or, maybe the problem or limitation is also something another group has encountered, and so there's now a lineage of authority built into those problems that had not yet been exposed. So I would say, not only is the story more credible when it addresses limitations and failures, but it is also more effective as a report for people to learn from and build on.