More inaccurate, misleading and prejudiced reporting by the media - this time TV coverage of "ClientEarth" winning a legal battle against the Government over urban pollution, and its failure to introduce "Clean Air Zones" in a number of areas including Liverpool and "Greater Manchester". Looking at the group's own home page, they are targeting diesel cars with no overt comment about buses (or other forms of transport), but of course, the Media are using it to attack buses. Granada's North West tonight specifically said that "bus, lorry and even(!) car drivers will be charged/fined for driving in city centres, having stated that the worst area in the region for pollution was the M62. They then interviewed a motoring lobbyist who said that it was unfair because 2/3 of commuters drive to work. 
BBC local news was only slightly better, in that they interviewed Interim GM Mayor, Tony Lloyd, who explained that it would only be the oldest, most polluting diesels that would be targetted. However, they repeated footage shown nationally yesterday of a 60-reg E400 running in London (presumably a Euro5) engine, where they claimed that an infra-red camera showed the *pollution* coming out of the exhaust. My brother is more scientifically knowledgeable than me, and he said that is nonsense. Infra-red cameras CAN'T show pollution, only heat. The BBC footage also interviewed taxi drivers and pro-cyclists, so the usual suspects who control the transport debate - except where was the Rail enthusiast?
Not sure if this story directly affects the North East, but if it has featured on your local media, was it similarly poor quality there?