Lee V. Gaines

Lee V. Gaines was an investigative education reporter at WFYI until March 2025. Lee was previously an education reporter for Illinois Public Media / Illinois Newsroom. Her work has been heard on national broadcasts, including All Things Considered, Morning Edition and Here & Now.

Before joining public media, Lee’s reporting appeared in newspapers and magazines in Chicago and nationally, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Reader, Chicago Magazine, the Pacific Standard and the Marshall Project.

Lee is the recipient of numerous journalism awards, including a regional Edward R. Murrow award and the 2020 award for best nationally edited feature from the Public Media Journalists Association. 

Lee was named the Indiana Journalist of the Year in 2024 by the Indiana Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists

Follow her on X at @LeeVGaines