Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what definitions and approval criteria distinguish an air pollution press release, news story, information bulletin and alert; which require proactive distribution to news media; and w
Answer
Air quality alerts are issued to subscribers if concentrations for any one of the five pollutants measured by the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI) are forecast and/or measured as 'high' or above. The distribution of air quality information to news and media is assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Verdict: RED (22/100)
The reply only partly addresses the question. It gives a concrete trigger for air quality alerts (pollutant levels at 'high' or above), but it does not define press releases, news stories or information bulletins or set out approval criteria for each. On which communication types must be proactively distributed to the news media, it says only that distribution is assessed case by case, which is hedged and does not commit to an answer. The asker would likely need to submit a follow-up to get the definitions and specific distribution requirements.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What are the definitions and approval criteria that distinguish an air pollution press release, news story, information bulletin and alert from one another? | Partially Addressed | Generic | Statement 1 gives a concrete trigger for air quality alerts (DAQI pollutant levels at 'high' or above), but nothing defines or distinguishes press releases, news stories, or information bulletins, and no approval criteria are given for any type. Statement 2 concerns case-by-case media distribution, not definitions or approval criteria, so the item is only touched on. |
| Which of these air pollution communication types (press release, news story, information bulletin and alert) require proactive distribution to news media? | Partially Addressed | Hedged | Statement 2 says media distribution is assessed case by case, which avoids identifying which communication types require proactive distribution to news media. It gestures at the topic without committing to a concrete answer, and the reply does not clearly say that any type is required to be proactively distributed. |