As I noted yesterday, The New York Times is still running substance-free hit pieces on Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic candidate for Senate, even after last month's widely-touted article on his description of his military service more or less fizzled.

But they do seem to have learned that it's appropriate to actually disclose when their reporting stems from the research of a candidate's opponent. In a June 16 article on Rep. Mark Kirk's (R-IL) description of his experience as a teacher, the Times notes:

His Democratic rival, Alexi Giannoulias, is raising questions about Mr. Kirk's classroom experience, including his time as a nursery school teacher. The Giannoulias campaign provided The New York Times several examples of Mr. Kirk referring to himself over the years as a former teacher. The comments were verified and more imprecise references were found by The Times as it reviewed his background.

There was no such acknowledgement on the Times' Blumenthal hit piece last month. After its publication, Republican Senate candidate Linda McMahon subsequently bragged her campaign provided the Times with research use in the article, a fact that the Times subsequently admitted.