Unless you were off the grid today, you no doubt heard about the misadventures of six-year-old Falcon Heene, the Denver-area boy who was feared to have been lifted off with his dad's helium balloon but was ultimately found safe hiding in a box in his parents' attic.

Greg Mitchell, editor of Editor and Publisher, did some solid running commentary on Twitter about media coverage:

Somehow Obama will be blamed for the boy in the balloon. Maybe his "lofty rhetoric" or "hot air" hopes.

Give us your odds on balloon thing turns out to be a hoax?

 @fmanjoo Balloon boy's father is a storm chaser and scientist who appeared on "Wife Swap." http://bit.ly/1KaR3S and http://bit.ly/nzGOX

Balloon boy's name is "Falcon." Come on you gotta be kidding me.

@jamisonfoser Thank god Balloon Boy didn't happen last year. Cheney would have ordered him shot down.

I'm holding to my prediction that no boy in balloon.

Live TV of balloon goes to file footage--to put crash on delay--then back to live.

Balloon now circling. Shep Smith calls it "Jiffy Pop thing." Will TV show crash live?

I'm holding to my initial "hoax" claim.

Shep Smith keeps referring to "Jiffy Pop" thing--great. Says it will warrant at least a page in his memoir.

Finally after 2 hours TV hosts ask, "Could it be a hoax"?

Finally balloon expert on CNN says wouldn't be enough lift in balloon for it to carry a boy off.

TV and press nearly ignored stray voices who said listing of balloon showed early on that no one on board.

@joanwalsh Disturbing video of balloon boy's father arguing with "safety-conscious" mom on Wife Swap: http://bit.ly/1bQlUP

AP reported flatly for an hour that there was boy in balloon--no qualfiers, no "unverified," no "reportedly."

A local sheriff's office: Think boy never in balloon and we are searching neighborhood.

Great if kid never got in balloon--but why did brother say he saw him in it and may have fallen out?

CNN shows videos submitted regularly to CNN by balloon boy's father on "theories on the planets."

No Baby on Board: My E&P piece on media blowing coverage of Balloon Boy. http://bit.ly/2sJEPS

CNN says sheriff's deputy saw "an object" fall off balloon and shows photo that seems to show that.

CNN idiotically focusing on flight path of balloon and why it had no markings.

Well, as I predicted: boy found at home, in attic. Now hoax probe begins.

Mitchell wrote a short story for his website:

Posted 4 p.m. ET, updated 4;25 p.m.: 'Boy in Balloon' Captivates Media: Balloon Lands And He's Not Inside--Hiding in Attic--Hoax?

His colleague Joe Strupp contributed a later one:

Posted 5:10 p.m.: Press Stays on 'Balloon Boy' Aftermath After Falsely Reporting He Was on Board

Personally, I think they're misusing the word "hoax." I don't think there was any deliberate attempt by anyone to fool people into thinking the boy was aboard the balloon, either by the authorities -- or by the media to keep people watching.

I do think we had something of a "fog of war" situation going on. But given that reality, the news media should have been more cautious in reporting the story.

You can watch the family being interviewed by Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Larry King Live.

However, in the interests of full disclosure, also check out this video, posted at inquisitr.com: Did Falcon Heene out balloon incident as a publicity stunt on CNN?

Online journalist Robert Niles also tweeted the following:

Amused at criticism of cable nets for skipping "real" news for #balloonboy. Don't we know yet that's what cable news does?

Cable nets are to thoughtful news coverage as the scorpion is to the frog. http://bit.ly/1BHFz

More for the record: @GregMitch called it right, and early, on #balloonboy.

 Remember when cops said they'd searched the house and were sure #balloonboy was on board? That's why we challenge sources.

@WendyNorris KUSA reported that sheriffs said they did.