@Emily: as I see it, there are 2 spaces.

One is similar to this event -- all welcome to post their comments on a subject, but quite clearly defined as such. Readers' comments on a story posted online, for example -- as often arguing with each other or tangential to the subject as actually contributing factual matter to the story.

The other space is news gathering and dissemination -- where the factual content of the story actually matters, and the reputation of the newspaper hinges (somewhat) on getting it right. In this case it's important to know that the video clip of rising seawater (for example) was actually taken in the French Quarter today, and an editor must make the judgment call whether to publish or not.