Ian Yee

Ian Yee is an investigative journalist, social impact entrepreneur, and co-founder of The Fourth, an investigative newsroom dedicated to exposing injustice and driving social change. His work has helped expose human traffickers, drug syndicates, child predators, and wildlife smugglers — and helped push through legal reforms and the arrest of syndicate leaders. He and his team have received over 50 major accolades, including two Peabody nominations and the United Nations Malaysia Award. Ian has been selected for leadership programmes by the Obama Foundation, Acumen, Bertha Foundation, and both the US and UK governments. He has also served on advisory boards for the Pulitzer Center and the Environmental Reporting Collective, a global network of environmental investigative journalists which he currently leads as Executive Director. In 2024, he was tapped to lead a US$10 million project supporting investigative journalists across Southeast Asia. He also previously served as a UNICEF National Consultant, leading a youth leadership programme later adopted by UNICEF’s East Asia and Pacific Regional Office. Under his leadership, The Fourth established a commercial production studio to independently fund its investigations, and since 2023 has run the Fourth Academy, training over 1,000 students and professionals in journalism, impact content, and digital storytelling.