Twitter has changed its policy on direct messages to allow users to accept direct messages from any other user, instead of just those people you follow.
Mashable has reported that this option has been available for some select users since 2011, but it is now being rolled out to a larger group of users.
If this includes you, the option can be found in the 'Accounts' section of Twitter's settings with a simple check box, making you more readily contactable by sources for potential stories.
Naturally this also makes you more susceptible to drowning in a deluge of spammy messages, which is why Twitter have apparently stopped users including links in direct messages according to ReadWrite.
Nieman Lab have a neat summary of pros, cons and comment from Twitter users in their post reporting the change which can give you a little more insight should you wish to take the plunge.
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