Should Twitter be used as a "source" for news?

I think social media can be a good source for firsthand accounts of what happened on site as an immediate account of events. However, they should be observed cautiously, the same as all media, because they could be coloured and not include the whole story.

However, in the case that you have presented, I do not think that social media would be the best citation for current events.

No, according to all sources, the street’s the place to go.

Well, if it’s on the net it has to be true.

It definitely depends on the tweeter. If it’s from a verified tweeter, then I’d say it’s okay.

Only if they link to an official new source. fb is good for local news for me.

no.

Lots of big new agencies and newspapers have a twitter feed, so tweets from them would be as reliable as their regular outlet. One caveat here is that traditional news sources have accelerated their news output for the electronic age and apply less editorial oversight and checking than they used to. (spelling, even!)

Tweets from some blogger will be about as reliable as… a blogger. i.e. gossip.