The #KTB: Kasim Reed's Twitter-based time-out for reporters

Updated at 6:30 p.m. below:

A report from the AJC's Katie Leslie:

New material: Now, you might think the Reed administration would be shy about discussing the topic. Far from it. Following is an argument from Reed spokeswoman Anne Torres:

No one who uses social media will deny that the Mayor has a comparable following to many news outlets such as Creative Loafing, who currently has 65,000 followers, and reporters including Max Blau and Thomas Wheatley, who have 3,300 followers and 2,700 followers respectively.  And when some news outlets take the easy way out through overly biased or inaccurate reporting, the Mayor is able to respond through social media to an online audience of over 100,000 (59,000 followers on Twitter, 36,000 individuals on Facebook and 25,000 email subscribers).  It's not about getting "angry," a charged term that some journalists have used to describe the Mayor's reaction to inaccurate and misleading articles; it's about responding to issues of importance and setting the record straight.  

The reality is that as news organizations continue to grapple with new media, they are under tremendous pressure to create content, and increasingly some reporters are resorting to citing anyone as the source for their content.  It's not responsible, and the Mayor has every right to respond in a direct manner or disengage in instances where no value is being added from the conversation.  That is one of the benefits of social media.

Mayor Reed and this administration don't have a problem engaging when it's appropriate.  With so much energy spent by journalists upset being blocked on Twitter, it makes one wonder if these same journalists are actually appalled that someone is willing to stand up to them as so many citizens desire to do, but simply do not have the platform to do so. 

Please understand that we welcome rebellious voices at all times in the comment section below.

Another update:  Reed has unblocked at least one reporter: @katieleslienews