John Wilke (December 12, 1954 – May 1, 2009)[1] was an American investigative reporter and news editor in the Washington bureau of The Wall Street Journal for two decades, beginning in 1989 and lasting until his death in 2009.

He earned his bachelor's degree with a double major in psychology and biology from New College in Sarasota, Florida.

In July 1989, Wilke joined the Wall Street Journal's Boston bureau, covering technology.

[2] In 2006, private fraud investigator Harry Markopolos gave extensive details about the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme to Wilke, who showed interest in the story.

Another revealed the broad range of earmarks a powerful Democrat, Rep. John Murtha, used to bring federal contracts to his Pennsylvania district.