John Kay (journalist)

John Kay (born 1944) is a British journalist who worked for The Sun newspaper for several decades.

Public school educated at St Peter's School, York^[1] Kay has worked for The Sun newspaper since 1974, initially as a general reporter, then as industrial editor.^[1] He was appointed the publication's chief reporter in 1990. Twice named 'Reporter of the Year' in the British Press Awards, a Press Gazette feature in November 2005 identified him as the sixteenth most influential British journalist since the war.^[2]

It was reported in November 2008 that Kay had been persuaded to continue working on The Sun past retirement on a full-time freelance basis but on the same salary as before.^[3]

In February 2012, Kay was reported to be one of eight people arrested as part of the Operation Elveden investigation into alleged bribes to police and civil servants.^[4] Kay was cleared at the Old Bailey in March 2015 of paying a total of £100,000 over a decade to a Ministry of Defence member of staff for assistance on stories relating to the army.^[5] The Sun though, did pay the money to his source, Bettina Jordan-Barber, who was jailed for 12 months in January for misconduct in public office.^[6]

In 1977 Kay was convicted of the manslaughter of his wife, on the grounds of diminished responsibility.^[1][7]

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