Gregory Phillip Kane ( – February 18, 2014) was an American journalist and political and social commentator.

Background

Kane was born in Baltimore and grew up in West Baltimore. He attended Baltimore City Public Schools and graduated from the

Baltimore City College Baltimore City College, known colloquially as City, City College, and B.C.C., is a college preparatory school with a classical liberal arts focus and selective admissions criteria located in Baltimore, Maryland. Opened in October 1839, B.C.C ...

high school in 1969.

Career

Kane began his journalism career in 1984 as a

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

writer for ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local, regional, national, and international news. Founded in 1837, the newspaper was owned by Tribune Publi ...

'', and became a staff writer for the newspaper from 1993 to 2008. In 2008, ''

The Baltimore Examiner ''The Baltimore Examiner'' was a free daily newspaper in Baltimore, Maryland. It launched in 2006 and ceased publication in 2009. History ''The Baltimore Examiner'' was launched as a new daily newspaper in the city in 2006 by the Philip Anschutz ...

'' hired him as a columnist.Sun Columnist Gregory Kane to Write for Examiner
After ''The Baltimore Examiner'' closed in 2009, he began writing for its sister newspaper, ''

The Washington Examiner The ''Washington Examiner'' is an American conservative news magazine based in Washington, D.C., consisting of a website and a weekly printed magazine. It is owned by Philip Anschutz through MediaDC, a subsidiary of Clarity Media Group. From 20 ...

'', where he wrote until his death.Gregory Kane – The Washington Examiner
Kane was also a visiting professor at the Writing Seminars at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. Kane died on February 18, 2014, after a battle with cancer.

Awards

In 1997, Kane was nominated along with ''Baltimore Sun'' reporter Gilbert Lewthwaite for the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

Explanatory Journalism Explanatory journalism or explanatory reporting is a form of reporting that attempts to present ongoing news stories in a more accessible manner by providing greater context than would be presented in traditional news sources. The term is often a ...

for a three-part series about slavery in

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

. Both men won the

Overseas Press Club The Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member, as was the war correspondent Peggy Hull. The club seeks to maintain ...

award for best reporting on

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

and an award from the

National Association of Black Journalists The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational and professional organization of African Americans, African American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 197 ...

for the series. Kane has also won several awards from ''

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

'' magazine, the Press Club of

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

, and the Maryland chapter of the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

. A moving letter-tribute to Kane appeared in the February 22, 2014, ''Baltimore Sun''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kane, Gregory Year of birth missing 2014 deaths American political writers American male non-fiction writers African-American journalists 1950s births Journalists from Baltimore The Baltimore Sun people Baltimore City College alumni Franklin & Marshall College alumni Towson University alumni American University alumni Johns Hopkins University faculty Deaths from cancer in Maryland 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people