On February 1st, five journalists will lock themselves in a farmhouse in the south of France to determine whether or not Facebook and Twitter are actually worth something. Just kidding. With nearly 400 million combined users, Twitter and Facebook have proved their social power and established their longevity. However, whether or not they can also serve as a reputable source of news remains to be seen.

Earlier this week, KC Estenson, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com, announced a new partnership with VICE’s VBS.TV (Spike Jonze‘s independent new media brain child) and Sub Pop Records, whose indie band Handsome Fur will document their travels with “Indie Asia: On Tour with Handsome Furs.” Most reactions: “Huh?”

A few days ago, Conan O’Brien listed the Tonight Show on Craig’s List. Now, as he enters the home stretch at the Tonight Show, he’s listed himself on Craig’s List. According to Mashable, O’Brien announced the listing on his show. I admit, it’s a clever post, and really, I feel for Conan. But isn’t this a little overkill? Repeating jokes doth not a comedian make.

T: The New York Times Style Magazine staffers Horacio Silva and Andy Port caused quite a social media stir with their Golden Globes coverage. Silva, who tweeted real-time coverage via T’s Twitter account @TheMoment, bashed Dexter star Michael C. Hall‘s dark-colored beanie. The tweet: “Is Michael C. Hall playing Bob Marley in an upcoming movie? Don’t get the hat or what he is hiding under it. HS” Unbeknownst to to Silva, Hall wore to cover hair loss as a result of a recent treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Outsell Research just released their “News Users 2009″ report, the results of which suggest that–surprise!–many readers turn to aggregator sites before heading to the print paper proper. Clearly, this augments the feeling of doom surrounding print papers, but what does this imply for their online counterparts? Well, basically, it means that they’re not going to make money either. If online papers follow the Grey Lady’s lead and start charging for their content, then users have no incentive to pay for bite-sized pieces they can snatch from an aggregator.

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported that HarperCollins is in talks with Apple to bring e-books to its much-hyped Tablet, set to be revealed (fingers crossed) on January 27th. But even more interesting? The ebooks “would have added features.” This implies video. And color. And pictures. And social media. In books!

The Freedom Forum is a nonpartisan, international foundation dedicated to the promotion of free speech, and its Newseum, in Washington D.C., chronicles five centuries of news history.

Yet while journalism flounders to stay in the black, executives at the Freedom Forum are raking in the big bucks.

For a president whose administration trumpets transparency, Barack Obama is being a bit covert with his tweets. Despite the fact that @BarackObama has been open since April 29, 2007, the president sent his first tweet yesterday. From the @RedCross account.