If there’s any time to disclose something negative, embarrassing, or unpopular, it’s a Friday afternoon in the middle of summer.

At around 2:30 p.m. on July 29, the media was given an hour’s notice that Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin and Rhode Island State Police Col. Steven O’Donnell would be holding a press conference to discuss the results of the criminal investigation into the 38 Studios debacle. Whatever was to be revealed, it was instantly clear authorities hoped as few Rhode Islanders as possible would be paying attention.

WPRI’s Tim White, on Twitter, said it well: “This is going to go down as the epitome of a Friday news dump. Journalism classes will use this in presentations.”

In the end, the big reveal from Kilmartin and O’Donnell was that there would be no big reveal. No criminal charges will be pursued in connection with the failed video game company, which was founded by former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, lured to Rhode Island through tens of millions of dollars in state support, and subsequently collapsed into bankruptcy, leaving taxpayers on the hook.

What’s more, Kilmartin and O’Donnell said none of the information compiled during the years-long probe would be made public. They cited the importance of secrecy in the grand jury process – using much of an eight-page official statement to defend that stance using technical terms – and pointed to the possibility of charges being filed down the line if more facts come to light.

We do not question the decision against pursuing criminal charges, disheartening though that outcome may be to many. Self-serving backroom deals, and the individuals making them, were at the heart of the 38 Studios debacle. But the failure was ultimately a systemic one.

A criminal conviction may have sent a dramatic message of accountability and brought a sense of satisfaction to rightfully angry Rhode Islanders. But only through government reform and public engagement can such an episode be prevented in the future, and that must be the true goal.

It is also important to remember that a pair of legal cases tied to 38 Studios – a state lawsuit against those involved in the deal, and a Securities & Exchange Commission action against the state and others involved – remain ongoing, with other civil litigation possible.

We are disappointed and troubled, however, by the nature of last week’s announcement – by the cynical calculation involved in its timing, by the clear effort to minimize attention and scrutiny, by the new fuel it will add to a narrative of disgust and apathy.

Nothing says “business as usual” like a textbook news dump.

If 38 Studios taught us anything, it’s that “business as usual” isn’t working. Rhode Islanders deserve, and should demand, better.