So the press is definitely lying when it says that the recession started in December 2007.
Yes and No. Yes, we were not in a recession when they began spouting all over the place that we were.
No, they are not lying because they simply changed the definition of recession to include a "slowdown" in growth.
Like the Allstate commercial that began running in early 2007 said: "We may not be in a recession, but it sure does feel like one."