Matthew Keys | CJR | Politico | Twitchy | The Atlantic Wire
Matthew Keys writes that Reuters gave him several reasons for dismissing him, including the fact that he tweeted information he'd heard over police scanners during the manhunt for the Boston bombings suspects. Keys tweeted on Monday that the news service had let him go.

"I’ve stated before I was unaware of several media reports sourcing law enforcement regarding scanner traffic," Keys writes. "As soon as I learned about the reports, I erred on the side of caution and stopped tweeting information heard over the scanner." He continues:

It’s unclear if any law enforcement official or agency reached out to Reuters to make the same request reported by other news organizations, but Reuters has made it clear that it does not need to independently reach out to law enforcement before complying with a request — if CBS News reports it, that’s good enough for Reuters.

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Matthew Keys | Politico
Reuters Deputy Social Media Editor Matthew Keys tweeted on Monday that the news service had let him go. Reuters confirmed to Politico that Keys is "no longer with the company."

Just got off the phone. Reuters has fired me, effective today. Our union will be filing a grievance. More soon.

— Matthew Keys (@TheMatthewKeys) April 22, 2013

 

Keys was indicted last month and charged with helping the hacking group Anonymous gain access to and alter a Tribune Co. website. Reuters suspended him the next day.

Some weekend stories about indicted Reuters social media editor Matthew Keys:

• Matthew Keys' alleged alliance with Anonymous hackers "is sort of an undercover-type, investigative journalism thing," his attorney Jay Leiderman told The Huffington Post.

"It looks like the government is essentially indicting a reporter under the [Computer Fraud and Abuse Act] for writing about Anonymous," his other attorney Tor Ekeland said.

If you're interested in the layout of Keys' apartment, the attached FBI search warrant includes a diagram.

• Ekeland recently tweeted that Anonymous hacker-turned-FBI informant Hector Xavier Monsegur, a.k.a. "Sabu" "is quite the snitch, isn't he?" Sara Morrison reports:

Sabu is quite the snitch, isn't he? rt.com/usa/lulzsec-sn…

— Tor Ekeland, P.C. (@TorEkelandPC) March 15, 2013

 

Leiderman, Morrison notes, said Sabu had a "really malignant heart" in an interview last October. (more...)