Since the moment its safety scandal began, General Motors Co. has been caught between two competing needs. On the one hand, it has to regain the public's trust after waiting more than a decade to recall a deadly defect. On the other, it has to avoid as much liability and public-relations fallout as possible.
Judging from the company's history, one might have expected GM to err on the side of candor. As Chief Executive Officer Mary Barra said during today's news conference, the investigation she ordered into the ignition-switch scandal showed a need for fundamental cultural change. And yet, after an employee "town hall" and the news conference about lawyer Anton Valukas's report, reporters were surprised to find that GM was not actually releasing the report to the public or the news media.
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