I never said that the consensus was always correct. It can be wrong, in both large and small ways. Its use here is for a layman looking in. The stronger the consensus, the more sure about the answer the community as a whole is.

I mainly brought it up as a counter to the common “both sides” thing that the media loves to do. They love creating controversy where there is almost none left.

Btw, if you provide some examples, I’d be happy to help analyze the type of failure involved. It could be enlightening to other readers.