The New York Times reports off Facebook photos for the front page

Ah, the sweet state of journalism today.

Tweets and Facebook are infiltrating the hallowed reporting of the Gray Lady, as a Facebook photo made the front-page of the newspaper’s Web site today. Admittedly, the report raises rather serious questions about the safety of U.S. President Barack Obama. The story is about a couple, Michaele and Tarek Salahi, who somehow got into a state dinner with the prime minister of India Manmohan Singh all without being on the guest list.

The New York Times has based stories entirely off social media before. They reported on a Twitter backlash in the U.K. earlier this month, ignited when a user named brumplum criticized British actor Stephen Fry.

This particular case raises interesting questions about where reporting is headed. Is reporting off tweets and Facebook too superficial? (We’ve certainly been guilty of it before at VentureBeat.) Or does it enable a news media organization to have broader access than before to a more diverse and authentic range of voices?