This is, bluntly, a very low effort comment. a) It's not journalists questioning these numbers, it's politicians and economists, and b) the criticism is long-s

This is, bluntly, a very low effort comment. a) It's not journalists questioning these numbers, it's politicians and economists, and b) the criticism is long-standing and entirely accurate. Folks have been criticising this statistic for many years, and COVID has only made those criticisms more salient. The top-line unemployment numbers factor out a large number of cohorts. For example, the number of people who've permanently stopped looking for work aren't counted. COVID has inflated numbers in those cohorts and the top-line figure is likely understating these effects as a consequence. Unfortunately, you've opted for a pithy dismissal based on, frankly, a cliche about mass media that offers no value or insight.