Tweet and Sour? Newspapers Set New Rules for Social Networking

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It is the spring of Twitter, after the winter of Facebook, and nearly a decade of blogging. So how are newspapers handling a lot of this newfangled social media madness? Many editors are still not sure how to police the growing Twitter trend and Facebook "friending" phenomenon. Since much of it relies on casual and candid conversation, standard newsroom regulations may not apply.

The Los Angeles Times issued a list of guidelines in March, while The Wall Street Journal gained attention in May when it expanded its conduct guidelines to include a host of online-related restrictions, including warnings not to "friend" confidential sources or get into Web- related arguments with critics. The Washington Post, just a day later, did …