What 'netizens say' makes and breaks news for old media too

The main difference between new and old media, in my mind, is that micro blogs and so on are not only breaking but also making the news these days.

I shouldn't let the cat out of the bag, but a lot of reporters, myself included, are mining blogs, micro blogs and search engine top 10s for gold, then publishing as if we actually got off our butts and talked to real people.

I used to meet flesh-and-blood individuals - even make phone calls - but now an article is like a Pop art experiment involving cut-and-paste, plus a dash of artistic translation and interpretation.