‘The Star’ editor to sit on Pulitzer Center advisory panel
PETALING JAYA: The Star deputy executive editor Ian Yee has been selected by the Pulitzer Center as an advisory committee member for its Rainforest Journalism Fund (RJF) in South-East Asia.RJF aims to fund and support reporting projects on urgent issues facing rainforests around the world, focusing on three key regions: the Amazon, the Congo Basin and South-East Asia.
Journalists from across the region, including Malaysia, may apply for part of the US$5.5mil (RM23mil) fund for in-depth reporting on rainforest issues. Those interested in applying may email sea.rjf@pulitzercenter.org.
“This is an absolutely amazing opportunity for Malaysian journalists, many of whom struggle for funding and resources to do real in-depth reporting,” said Yee, who pioneered The Star’s award-winning R.AGE investigative team.“The Star has been a champion of environmental journalism over the years but Malaysia now needs even more reporting on our rainforests, which play a critical role in addressing the global climate crisis.”
During the launch of RJF in 2018, Pulitzer Center executive director Jon Sawyer noted that “no issue is as important to our future as climate change”.
“Understanding the role of rainforests is absolutely key to solving the challenges we face.
“We are grateful for this opportunity to work with some of the world’s leading environmental journalists,” he said.
The Pulitzer Center is a non-profit organisation that supports reporting and education projects on underreported issues around the world.
In 2020 alone, projects by the centre received over 50 awards and citations including Emmy and Peabody Awards.
“The Pulitzer Center fills a vital gap in coverage of the issues that matter most. Editors and journalists say that without our support, these kinds of stories simply wouldn’t happen,” said a description on its website.
Aside from his role with the Pulitzer Center, Yee has also been selected as an Obama Foundation Leader, a global Acumen Fellow, and an International Leaders Programme fellow under the UK government.
