A lot of people supported the Iraq War, in the belief that experts supported it. It took something that was effectively a top-level government conspiracy to cover up the fact that the actual experts disagreed.
It wasn't a complete suppression of the facts, but an awful lot of genuine experts were manipulated into saying things that were misleading.
So I could pardon that particular mistake, at least a little. But I hold it against him for not recognizing where this manipulation was coming from, for well over a decade after it was blindingly obvious.
Demanding the conflation of opinion with expert instruction is one reason why Media is in terminal decline.
A large part of credibility in expertise is the ability to naturally lead. People tend to follow who reads as credible. If someone doesn't read as such, it isn't the fault their missing audience.
If they are credible and yet lack the ability to communicate that, I'd suggest that's both rare in-practice but would be a dire skill issue. Examining what is wrong with them and why better people aren't employed would be the logical next step.
- Tom Nichols, The Death of Expertise