Panel: Social media made UK riots worse

That's the assessment of a panel set up to investigate last year's summer riots in England. The UK Guardian reports the panel also blamed  rolling coverage on traditional TV outlets like the BBC and Sky News: 

In a report published on Tuesday, the Riots Communities and Victims Panel said social networking and TV footage of police officers watching people "loot at will" helped fuel the disorder in London and other UK cities.

But the Guardian also reports the panel cautions against shutting down social networks during times of unrest, saying "viral silence may have as many dangers as viral noise."