Hi roulishollandais;
How the industry must change as a result of the lessons of AF447 as well as other accidents may be up to those agents of change which are beyond/outside of the BEA. That would not be unusual - I suspect the same is true of the Canadian TSB and the American NTSB process - no report can be definitive, and certainly beyond human factors which relate directly to the accident, here, AF447, a report cannot deal with changes which may be needed within the industry.
It was really the last paragraph of the VF article that I thought was entirely relevant and we know that the BEA nor any formal investigative body cannot and does not write that kind of commentary. So I think there is value in what Langewiesche says.
As for media, glamour, television and all those endeavours stand for I dismiss them all, wholly, as untrustworthy for serious work. The fact that they may sell so well around the world and be tremendously profitable for their owners is both a fact and a disheartening reality.