LOL! Very true!
A million years ago, I worked on the database the FAA used to track Near Mid-Air Collisions (NMAC), Pilot Deviations (PD) and Operational Errors (OE).
We used to get a whole lot of NMAC reports from people on the ground, air, whatever, but the TRUE definition was a report "by a crewmember" and we threw them out.
Now we have someone trolling through data until they find something and the media clutches its pearls... But I'm sure they consult an "Aviation Expert" first!