Mutual trust and respect
So here we are wringing our hands and slapping our foreheads about this situation, yet in spite of the headlines the real issues haven't surfaced.
If this is about non-punitive voluntary disclosures then the FAA should stay out of it since they have to uphold an implied responsibility to the public in open.
If this is about identifying causal factors and solutions is it then not entirely in the realm of the safety office for the airlines and the people who share lessons between airlines?
I'll admit that it can be somewhat subjective in judging "intentional disregard for safety clauses" but if this judgement is made at the initial airline safety office and sticks 90% of the time, why can't this program work?
I presume that it did work for some time (I've seen the results) but what now has derailed it?
I don't like white wash words like "lack of trust" for an explanation because that implies somebody is hiding behind weasel words and we need to get this out in the open or the public is going to lose confidence pretty damn quick since it's all over the news.