Biblical...

I said, I can't do a Pilate and feign ignorance, and doing a Judas would be to say it is all their fault, but I won't do that. I did the story, but things were strange then (almost everyone was more interested in talking about themselves, though there were enough happy faces in Hyderabad) and have become even stranger now. can things change dramatically in six months? Yes. Can surveys, done with the best of intentions, be manipulated? Yes, any survey done by any publication can be manipulated. Heck, several media organisations don't trust the readership surveys done by media coalitions in which they are partners. Or in some cases, pick and choose the results depending on the publication.
Can a disgruntled employee be very cynical? Yes. Happens all the time, doesn't it? Anyway, the company in question has gone into almost near-total lock-down mode, almost like Coke when Sunita Narain blasted them with pesticides. American multinationals can become very nervy when bad news starts leaking out, worse than governments almost.
This is a very interesting read, it is the speech by veteran American anchor Dan Rather given at the National Conference for Media Reform in the US.