A student is editing a multiparagraph passage. Passage context: An arts council used three reviewers to score grant applications. Reviewers sometimes disagreed, but the council's rules required discussion and a written reason before final scores were changed. Editing purpose: The council is drafting a process description. It should acknowledge disagreement without accusing reviewers of bias merely because their judgments differed. Sentence selected for revision: "Biased judges manipulated scores behind closed doors." Which choice best removes the evaluative framing about arts-grant review while keeping all material qualifications?