Speaking of the " range of hands-on actions" to combat "misinformation in the media," here's Atrios (opining on the "retraction" of part of Shift Boat veteran George Elliott's story that we now hear wasn't really a retraction after all):

Obviously, Kerry sent his goons after the guy's family.

Does this mean (if it turns out there was a retraction of the retraction) that Kerry retracted his goons? Or maybe practiced a little goon control? Or did the goons come back again to make Elliott unretract after the retraction?

Well?

Actually, there will never be any need for Atrios to correct (or retract) anything, because his comments were made sarcastically, and (I suspect) with full knowledge that they couldn't possibly be true. Atrios (a major blogger with a well-oiled machine behind him) was in a position to know that the reporter he quoted works for the Kerry team, and that the "retract" story was, well, sexed up. If he knew that, he certainly knew that there was no way that "Kerry's goons" could have gone after George Elliott's family, because if the original story wasn't retracted, Elliott couldn't have been forced to retract it.

This means, of course, that there's no need to retract the "goons" comment, either, because the sarcasm mocks the stupid right wing nuts so deluded as to imagine that Kerry would ever send goons after anyone's family. They should be ashamed for thinking the thoughts imputed to them, and the falsity of the retraction only shows how wrong they were.

Shame on the right wing nuts for thinking that Kerry sent in the goons!

Why, it is they who owe us a retraction!

Of "their" thoughts!