The problem with twitter is it can be used easily to manipulate the media because anyone can easily set up a fake twitter account, tweet a bunch of rumors that journalists, who rely on blogs because they don’t have the resources any longer due to cuts in funding, use, and thus, unsubstantiated rumors become fact.
Twitter and blogs are a huge part of the problem with erroneous reporting these days. Look at what ABC recently reported: Tony Scott had irreparable brain cancer. No he didn’t, ABC picked it up off a blogger whom they follow who picked it up off a smaller blogger whom they follow who was desperate for content and put up an unsubstantiated rumor from a “tip.”
I think we should be very careful what we wish for here because the lack of editing, crowd-editing, crowd journalism leads to poor reporting resulting in at best a little fun, at worst death. In no way should anything on twitter be reported until it is sourced the old fashioned way.
