Peer to peer journalism is basically the practice of using yer melon to reality test the crap on your phone.
An example: I have a friend in a mid-high legal role in telecom. This person can be “my guy” to chat with about some issue in telecom I have discovered in the news that is giving me heartburn.
I cannot express my recent realization how bizarrely disconnected we are from our own ability to phone a friend and pick their brains. I mean, schedule it by messenger to manage the anxiety as needed. But it seems sort of important to get a clear view from higher ground these days.
Your argument was about talking to friends to gain insight into things you know less about, not finding the six degrees of separation that connect you.
I agree with the original premise of talking to friends with a variety of backgrounds to compliment your world view, but I also holdfast that it is privileged to assume that most people will have connections with friends or even friends-of-friends that can get them trustworthy and informed information.