Press Release lazy media.
Journalists don’t work, they just reprint press releases. They don’t think or investigate stories.
I see it with each and every legal story where the media 9.5 times gets the legal issues wrong or reports as major motions which are procedural or very minor at best. (ie motion for rehearing or requests for a new trial as a routine and required precident to appeal)
This traveled across some lazy reporters desk, she/he wanted to “look busy” and knew NOTHING about cars so it was run as “new.”
I once read that a study determined 60% of all “news items” were generated via press release.
I am assuming the source of the story was the researchers’ own press release.