I'm not sure David Learmount is Flight's boss, just he tends to get introduced as that. He's the Operations/Safety Editor
Anyway, he was also interviewed yesterday on Radio 4's PM, where they were trying to make a big issue out of the CF6 "unsafe condition". David started off about the fact that many advisory notices are issued, but then went on a ramble about GE and Rolls-Royce.
In such cases you need to be quick and clear at rebutting such questions or say "let's wait and see what the NTSB say".
Maybe it's time for the industy to invite some of the main TV and Radio transport correspondents/news editors around their facilities to try to explain what the terminology that is used by the industry means.