Is Social Networking Important to Journalism?

There is an interesting discussion on Facebook that was started yesterday in a new group called “Journalists and Facebook.” Part of the description of the group includes the following question: “What can journalists (and the news organizations they work for) learn from the site?” Phillip Blanchard of the Washington Post put a comment on the wall with a response, “I don’t mean to be a spoilsport, but the answer is ‘little or nothing.'” Yikes! Is that really the case? From my little experience in citizen journalism, I have rapidly realized that much of getting the scoop on the story relies on the connections that you have.