Daniel Paul Kane (born 1961) is an American news reporter and investigative journalist for the Raleigh, North Carolina newspaper The News & Observer, notable for uncovering and exposing the academics scandal at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kane is credited for unearthing substantive academic fraud in conjunction with whistleblower Mary Willingham regarding student-athletes who were directed towards phony classes, according to allegations. According to The New York Times, Kane was subjected to "violent threats, angry screeds, and Twitter flame campaigns" in response to his reporting. His reporting exposed a pattern of "lax oversight and risibly easy or nonexistent classes disproportionately benefiting athletes".