I think it's a question of whether we're playing a single round of a game or an iterated game; or, to phrase it differently, whether we're discussing single act

I think it's a question of whether we're playing a single round of a game or an iterated game; or, to phrase it differently, whether we're discussing single acts or culture. Granted, any time that transparency leads to bad effects, lack of transparency would presumably have led to the lack of those bad effects, and so be good, at least indirectly. A one-time lack of transparency can perhaps be appropriate. However, a culture of lack of transparency is not the opposite of a culture of transparency, and those are the two poles I really see us discussing. A culture of transparency can lead to problems, but can also lead to good things (or at least to the exposure of bad things so that they can be addressed); whereas a culture of lack of transparency always will lead to problems, and any temporary good results from its imposition will be overwhelmed by its long-term ill effects.