A dog that was out of sight was also out of mind; today a dog that is out of sight must be
constantly in mind — if he's not the victim of an accident, he could
bite someone who chased or teased him, scare someone who is afraid of dogs, get
picked up by the dog warden, join another household by choice or default, destroy the neighbors garden, torment other dogs or cats, all activities that can result in injuries, lawsuits, financial loss, or grief.
In this sense, Twitter's a
bit like an AP News or Reuters, in that it
constantly provides news «bulletins» (i.e. tweets) that other media outlets
pick up on and write stories on.