But the funny thing is the reason some of these stories keep springing up on Twitter is because it's not people on Twitter spreading it. Usually, it's media sources putting it out -- just not doing their homework.
Mann uses social media as a source to inform his mainstream media journalism; Carvin, at least in the case of the latest run of stories from the Arab world, has focused his journalism on and from social media platforms - curating a fascinating stream of tweets from Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
But I'm not sure that CNN itself is entirely blameless in this affair. Like most news organisations (including the Guardian), it has been encouraging its journalists to cross over into social media and establish a more personal and informal relationship with their viewers and readers.