When you read material, do you not notice obvious flaws and mistakes and inaccuracies?
Most people do.
Yes but they are a distraction not the sum of my opinion of the article.
I weigh and consider how much they interfere with the points made, the information conveyed and realize with humility that we all make mistakes.
It’s like always doing 60% rather than half in shared jobs. The other person’s view of 1/2 way seldom coincides with mine. By doing a little extra & by them doing a little extra from their point of view, the job is finished without strife and a relationship continues.
Your job as the reader, is to assess the overall thrust and insight, the clarity of the hypothesis being developed not to grade on superfluous issues like a pedantic English teacher who has lost all connection with the purpose of writing and only perceives the form. The destruction of our educational system by the left has resulted in much poorer writing skills even amongst “professionals”. Errors abound and one must sift through to have any trust that a situation is accurately conveyed.
The OP made an accurate case for the drop in ratings and cited his data.