In-world reporting has created an opportunity for real world journalists to bridge a gap between those in Second Life and those out of world.
Journalists in world are reporting on real news and sharing this information with those who are not in SL. In addition, SL reporting gives journalists a place to make rookie mistakes which will help them avoid making these same errors in the real world.
Second Life reporting is most definitely a useful tool for journalists, especially since word of mouth, (WOM) is huge in-world. WOM is a fantastic form of PR and when applying the 1% rule, for every 1 person who posts on a digital forum 99 people are viewing the content, it is a great way to spread information.
Although in-world reporting is incredibly useful, it does present challenges when dealing with accurate sourcing. Once a journalist in-world has found a story, it is difficult to verify their sources and when the only medium being used is the internet, it is difficult to contact those sources for a follow-up.
News in SL is real and is being reported by real-life journalists. This means if a story happens across the world and its being reported on SL, a journalist in world from America could teleport to wherever this story is being reported from. This will not only be helpful in reporting the hard facts, but saves a journalist the hassle of trying to get across the world to get, lets say, eye-witness interviews.