As you may know by now, the LA Times instituted a ban on its bloggers even mentioning the John Edwards/Affair story, even in attempts to prove it wrong. Editor Tony Pierce wrote to his staff:

There has been a little buzz surrounding John Edwards and his alleged affair. Because the only source has been the National Enquirer we have decided not to cover the rumors or salacious speculations. So I am asking you all not to blog about this topic until further notified.

Now why is it that allegations by unreliable tabloids shouldn’t be reported when the subject is a Democratic politician, but it’s just fine to mention allegations by unreliable tabloids against celebrities? The LA Times had no problem repeating an unsubstantiated rumor about Matthew Broderick having an affair, even admitting at the time of publication that the source was unreliable:

According to various reports, including this week’s Star magazine, always a reliable (satire alert) source, Matthew Broderick ’s been getting himself a little extra “Sex in the City.”

Why, it’s almost as if the paper has a double-standard.