In China's disaster-hit port of Tianjin, questions are invited, but not welcome
Officials pledge transparency and hold plenty of press conferences, but answer few queries
The Tianjin government may have held daily press conferences since Wednesday's explosions, but many critics are unconvinced the local authorities have improved transparency as pledged.
The municipal government has held six press conferences, the first 18 hours after the initial blast and the most recent on Sunday morning, but many questions over key issues - such as the cause of the explosions and how the rescue efforts are organised - remain unanswered.
When a reporter from news group Caixin asked Tianjin deputy publicity chief Gong Jiansheng on Sunday about which official was in charge of the rescue mission, Gong said: "I need to inquire about that later."
The reporter persisted, asking "how can you not know as publicity department chief?" but was ignored by Gong.
An earlier press conference was halted when reporters asked Zhang Yong, head of Tianjin Binhai New Area, about the distance between the blast site and residential areas.
Wang Hongwei, professor with Renmin University's School of Public Administration and Policy, said the media briefings had not satisfied the public's desire to understand the catastrophe.
"For an accident that has such a big impact, press conferences require the presence of senior officials, at least someone from the Tianjin municipal government leadership," said Wang, adding it was possible some officials had "dodged questions because they did not have the whole picture".