The conduct of the investigation was devoid of epistemic integrity.
Ignoring all politics, I am frustrated that someone could read this as being a trusted source of information. It is the opposite, it is a source of misleading information which is absolving the industry of wrongdoing.
Research is about finding out the truth! Since when did researchers decide that instead of ONLY the facts; they would introduce some foreign objective of appeasing companies, publishing only what they will allow; or letting your own moral beliefs direct the research.
It's corrupt, regardless of whether that is financial or academic.
What kind of independent investigator submits their results to OpenAI for approval and changes the content and the tone, like a journalist hack submitting something to an editor?
I am in the shoes of the researcher, I am invited to do this investigation. I appeal to my integrity and I decide that I refuse to author propaganda at someone else's behest.