Matthew Kemeny

Matthew Kemeny, aka The Crime Dog, is an American stand-up comedian, journalist and former columnist born Jan. 18, 1980 in Camden, N.J. He is best known for his off-beat and humorous "Crime Dog" columns published in The Times-Tribune newspaper in Scranton from October 2006 to September 2007 and the 2000 Albrightian student newspaper controversy. He's currently a crime reporter with The Patriot-News, based in Harrisburg, Pa.

The Early Years

Kemeny, son of Charles and Betty Ann Kemeny, grew up in Haddon Heights, N.J., in Camden County. In high school, he was sports editor of The Scribe. He graduated in 1998.

The Albrightian Controversy

Kemeny enrolled at Albright College in Fall of 1999 and worked as a reporter for the campus newspaper, The Albrightian, for a year. In the Fall of 2000, as a sophomore, Kemeny became the youngest editor-in-chief of the 150-year-old publication. In November, Kemeny found himself in the center of a free speech controversy that grabbed national headlines. The story, authored by Kemeny, reported that Albright had fallen considerably in the U.S. News and World Report college rankings and had a much higher rate of admission than previous years. [http://www.splc.org/report_detail.asp?id=599&edition=17]

The paper was distributed across campus Nov. 9, a day before an open house was scheduled for prospective students. Shortly after the papers were distributed, the college used a fire drill to remove more than 1,000 editions from the campus center. [http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services-miscellaneous-business/4678770-1.html] They also went into the locked newspaper offices to move hard copies and computer disks related to the edition.

The incident was reported on by The Associated Press, The Reading Eagle-Times and may other newspapers, television stations. The papers were returned the following Monday following a heated, closed-door meeting over free speech issues between the college and the student journalists.

Kemeny graduated from Albright in 2002. He went on to graduate school at The University of Illinois at Springfield, graduating in 2003 with a master's in public affairs reporting.

Professional Career

Kemeny worked for The Cecil Whig for a short time in 2003 before landing a job with The Times-Tribune in January 2004. After covering the borough of Dunmore, Lackawanna County, Kemeny was moved to night police reporter and then day police reporter in January 2006. Less than a year later, he became the paper's first crime columnist.

Kemeny was given the "Crime Dog" nickname from former Times-Tribune metro editor Ed Christine. [http://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/Discussions/tabid/361/view/topic/postid/38/Default.aspx]

In August 2007, Kemeny accepted a job with The Patriot-News as a dayside police reporter. He started a month later.

Stand-up career

Kemeny was an opening comedian at Wisecrackers comedy clubs in Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and Allentown. He's also performed at Marywood University, Wilkes University, Caroline's on Broadway, and many other places across the U.S. [http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2007/03/30/lifestyles/18147679.txt] He was one of the founding members of the open mic night at the Wisecracker's Wilkes-Barre location. In 2008, Kemeny competed in the West Shore Hardware Bar's Biggest Joke Contest. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3_DwEPfbD0] He won a semi-final round but lost in the finals.

Personal

Kemeny began dating nursing student Angie Culpepper in May 2004 and two were engaged Oct. 13, 2006. In mid-January the two announced they were ending their relationship. About a month later, Kemeny began dating occupational therapist Mindy Finkey. The two are still together and live in Grantham, Pa.

References

http://www.splc.org/report_detail.asp?id=599&edition=17http://www.allbusiness.com/services/business-services-miscellaneous-business/4678770-1.htmlhttp://emedia.thetimes-tribune.com/Discussions/tabid/361/view/topic/postid/38/Default.aspxhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3_DwEPfbD0http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/articles/2007/03/30/lifestyles/18147679.txt