We've said it again and again: Conservatives, and especially conservative media critics, seem to have no real understanding of how journalism actually works, which means their critiques are often unintentionally comical.

Cue The Weekly Standard.

In full-on pity party mode over Limbaugh's failed Rams purchase, the Standard's John McCormack suggests CNN is guilty of “libel” because Rick Sanchez earlier this week attributed a quote about slavery to Rush Limbaugh; a quote which Limbaugh claims he never made.

Now, even based on that brief episode, the idea that McCormack reaches for “libel” simply illustrates he has no idea what the word means, at least not in the context of American journalism and the U.S. courts. The notion that Rush Limbaugh, a supremely public figure, could sue CNN for libel for attributing a quote to him which denies making is quite amusing.

But here's the real punchline. When Sanchez was notified that Limbaugh disputed the slavery quote, what did the CNN host do? Sanchez went on CNN and informed viewers about Limbaugh's denial.

This is what Sanchez said:

Among the news organizations that reported that [quote] yesterday was our show at 3:00. Limbaugh's response to this is -- and I -- we want to be fair to Rush -- he says: “We have gone back. We have looked at everything else, and there is not even an inkling that any of the words in that quote are accurate. It's outrageous.”

So, Rush Limbaugh is denying that that quote has come from him. Obviously, that does not take away the fact that there are other quotes who have been attributed to Rush Limbaugh which many people in the African-American community and many other minority communities do find offensive.

In other words, Sanchez did what any respectable and responsible journalists would do when notified that he may have misspoke on the air. He returned to air and informed viewers. (This, of course, is something hosts on Fox News, and Limbaugh himself, religiously refuse to do.) Yet the Standard is still claiming that CNN might be guilty of “libel.”

Like I said, conservatives know so little about journalism, half the time their critiques just make us laugh.

UPDATED: Honestly, is there anything more amusing than watching the GOP Noise Machine lecture people about accuracy and treating people fairly?