My rule of thumb for modern reporting is when they use the word "unprecedented" it probably isn't. And sure enough, if you look for it, similar things happened

My rule of thumb for modern reporting is when they use the word "unprecedented" it probably isn't. And sure enough, if you look for it, similar things happened 5, 10, or 20 years ago. Whether the journalist is ignorant or lying, it doesn't matter. Their first job is to get the facts correct. If those are wrong, nothing else matters.