Drew Ambrose

Drew has worked as a foreign correspondent, investigative journalist, interview/discussion shows producer and documentary maker. Aside from broadcasting, he has been an editorial lead on many innovative digital projects.

Fluent in Indonesian, he lived in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, working fulltime in international news bureaus.

The Australian became the youngest on-air correspondent for Al Jazeera English in 2011 and is one of the news channel’s most widely travelled journalists. Drew has made more than 80 documentaries in 40 nations over the past decade for the program 101 East.

Throughout his career, Drew has reported on Asia's biggest stories including the Rohingya Refugee Crisis, Typhoon Haiyan, North Korean nuclear tensions, the 2014 Thailand Coup, The Easter Sunday Bombings, Black Saturday Bushfires, 2007 Garuda Plane Crash and the Yogyakarta Earthquake.

Drew has produced complex investigations on dolphin hunting, secret torture centres, deforestation, clergy abuse, pandemic medical waste dumping, cyber-pedophila, enforced disappearances, slavery, sex trafficking and indigenous incarceration.

Some of his work is conducted in dangerous locations such as Pakistan, Syria, Papua New Guinea, Mexico and Sri Lanka.

In 2020, Drew was expelled from Malaysia after the police launched a criminal investigation, arrested a whistleblower and raided Al Jazeera’s bureau for a documentary he produced on the plight of migrants during the coronavirus pandemic. The move triggered condemnation by human rights and press freedom groups who said the information contained in the documentary was accurate and true. The Global Investigative Journalism Network listed the documentary as one of the best pieces of reporting that year.

In a volunteer capacity, he has spoken at media industry events globally. Drew has also lectured, conducted workshops and created curriculums for tertiary institutions, high schools and journalism organizations.

In 2022, he is the creator and showrunner of a new series about usual neighbourhoods called “A Sense of Community”.

Drew has won or been nominated for more than 80 media prizes. His biggest accolades include the Venice TV Award (Italy), the Wincott Award (UK), the One World Media Award (2021 International Journalist of the Year), 3 Walkley Awards (Australia), 6 New York Festival Gold Medals , 3 Human Rights Press Awards (Hong Kong), 3 Drum Online Media Awards, 3 Overseas Press Club of America citations and The Sigma Award (USA).