MORE SLOPPY AND UNSUBSTANTIATED CHARGES THIS POLITICAL SEASON: They’re from the New York Times, which writes:

In fairness to Mr. Kerry, his aides were faced with a strategic dilemma that has become distressingly familiar to campaigns in this era when so much unsubstantiated or even false information can reach the public through so many different forums, be it blogs or talk-show radio.

As is usual with such big-media comments about unsubstantiated information on blogs, no examples are given. (Specific examples with hyperlinks to sources are for those evil untrustworthy blogs, not the meticulous Big Media!) As reader Richard Kleiner emails:

A couple of thoughts here:

Could you imagine the NY Times sneering at the blogosphere’s coverage of the Trent Lott affair as “unsubstantiated and even false?” As I recall, blogs were hailed as heroic for pointing out something that was public record, but which the Big Media studiously ignored.

Apparently, reading old copies of the Congressional Record when the New York Times can’t or won’t now constitutes peddling “unsubstantiated and even false” information.

Indeed.