In a surprising turn of events, the cyberspace world of new media – where defamatory statements about public figures run amok on blogs and in comments sections – is helping reduce libel cases against major publications from a steady flow of complaints to a mere trickle.

Jake Dobkin, the publisher and co-founder of New York City local news blog Gothamist, will appear on a New York Times panel for executives on Thursday, moderated by Times media critic David Carr. But the mention of the Times as “a credible editorial resource” sent Dobkin off on a rampage of a response, berating the paper in an email that he also posted on his public Facebook.