Well that's the thing, they only owned up to their mistakes because they were criticized. However what they did to any objective observer was a net benefit for

Well that's the thing, they only owned up to their mistakes because they were criticized. However what they did to any objective observer was a net benefit for them in the end, so it overall incentivized misleading and dishonest behavior as long as you can get away with it. The only things standing between where we are and a low-trust kleptocracy are upholding standards of behavior, either through encouragement of good behavior or punishment of bad behavior.