About IRE
Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting. IRE was formed to create a forum in which journalists throughout the world could help each other by sharing story ideas, newsgathering techniques and news sources.
IRE provides members access to thousands of reporting tipsheets and other materials through its Resource Center and hosts conferences and specialized training across the country. Programs of IRE include the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting (NICAR), a collaboration between IRE and the Missouri School of Journalism.
Learn more about joining IRE and the benefits of membership.
Our History
It was at that organizational meeting that IRE got its name. Columnist Les Whitten asserted that what most characterizes the investigative reporter is “a sense of outrage.” Organizers determined that the simplicity of Investigative Reporters and Editors and the resultant acronym, IRE, fit such an association.
The assassination of Arizona Republic reporter Don Bolles in June 1976, just a few days before the organization's first national conference in Indianapolis, stirred IRE outrage and is a vital part of our history. But Bolles' death did not start the organization; IRE already was well underway.
Bolles was scheduled to speak at that first conference in Indy, June 18-20, 1976. About 300 reporters attended the first conference. For three days, experienced journalists offered advice in 90-minute segments on how to tackle everything from city hall to ethical problems.
The conference was significant for two reasons. Not only had a group of reporters and editors struck upon a highly successful model for sharing information, but the organization voted to turn down a major grant from a non-journalistic foundation. The new membership was determined to rely upon the support of professional organizations and journalists themselves.
The Arizona Project
NICAR
NICAR shares IRE’s mission to foster excellence in journalism, particularly with regard to data journalism.
For more than 30 years, NICAR has:
- made valuable government datasets available to journalists
- done custom analysis work for newsrooms large and small
- held annual conferences that helped create and continue to support the active NICAR community
- trained journalists around the country and overseas in the art of acquiring, cleaning and analyzing data
- provided resources for using data effectively and responsibly
- trained Missouri journalism students to handle data and do analysis
To find out more about NICAR and its services, contact David Herzog, director of data and research services, at (573) 882-2127 or dherzog@ire.org.
IRE Team
The IRE staff works tirelessly to provide you with the resources and training opportunities you need as reporters and editors.
Diversity & Inclusion
Diversity & Inclusion Mission Statement
Approved June 14, 2023, by the IRE Board of Directors
IRE strives to reflect diversity and inclusion in all of its efforts and offerings. It is a foundational value, as a diverse membership strengthens our organization and produces higher-quality journalism that more accurately reflects the communities we serve. By centering inclusivity — both in our public programming and internal staffing policies — we help sustain IRE’s future and ensure that our members thrive as journalists, educators and students.
American journalism is in a state of flux, with a decline in newsroom employment that can limit what stories are told and who has the opportunity to tell them. That threatens diversity in an industry that still does not reflect the diversity of the nation. IRE is committed to taking practical steps to address the ongoing impact of such growing inequality within the industry. IRE will maintain the necessary data collection to assure membership of our commitment to diversity and inclusion.
IRE develops programming, networking opportunities and training to create a safe space for all journalists, including journalists of color, LGBTQ+ journalists, journalists of different gender identities, journalists with disabilities and journalists of different religious beliefs and spirituality. For IRE, inclusivity means welcoming and supporting people with intersecting identities and backgrounds. IRE seeks to maintain a discrimination-free organization where everyone can learn and be supported professionally — including at conferences and events held in states with evolving laws and legal protections.
Data on DEI efforts at IRE
In 2019, IRE started collecting more data on the racial makeup of its membership. We found that of those who answered, at least 14 percent identified as a person of color. That number has risen to at least 30 percent of IRE membership. Some members decline to provide race/ethnicity information, so the percentage may be higher. In October 2024, available data showed a total of 4,946 members. Of those, 4,334 responded to the question about race and ethnicity and 1,500 identified as POC.
Even at 30 percent, IRE is doing considerably better than U.S. newsrooms; while a complete database is lacking, the last count by the now-defunct News Leaders Association a few years ago put the rate of JOCs in newsrooms at about 20 percent.
IRE is committed to increasing the diversity of its membership, as well as understanding how that membership is reflected in its programming. In 2023, the organization began collecting more data on the racial and gender makeup of its awards entrees in an effort to begin providing more data transparency on who is entering and winning our annual awards.
IRE Code of Conduct
Investigative Reporters & Editors is committed to providing a friendly, safe and welcoming environment for all, regardless of race, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical ability, age, appearance or religion.
IRE supports vigorous debate and welcomes disagreement, while maintaining a civil and respectful community. Discriminatory or harassing behavior is not permitted.
IRE may take any action it deems appropriate to deal with those who violate our principles, including exclusion from our events, forums, listservs and the organization itself.
IRE AccessFest (formerly DBEI Symposium)
AccessFest is IRE’s annual virtual-by-design conference. The two-and-a-half-day event took place online, October 17-19, 2024. AccessFest has two main goals: an opportunity for attendees to get IRE’s more traditional investigative and data training — from anywhere in the world — at a fraction of the cost of the in-person conferences as we reprise the most well attended sessions virtually. The other purpose remains historically rooted in a symposium IRE launched after the 2020 "racial reckoning" that centered diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion both in news coverage and within the newsroom given the changing demographics we cover globally. While the IRE and NICAR conferences have some sessions on these topics, AccessFest allows journalists to dive deeper. This year, we had nearly 375 attendees, which is increasing year after year.
The conference started out as the two-day “DBEI Symposium” in 2021 and in 2022 and was expanded and rebranded as AccessFest in 2023. The reframing is part of the organization's commitment to accessibility; be it not only to data, docs and sources but also in consideration of our members' health, caregiving responsibilities and/or financial constraints. The symposium's goal was to help journalists with newsroom diversity issues and with investigating inequality in their communities, from education and business to housing and police accountability, in addition to building greater community in the investigative journalism space, which AccessFest continues to heavily center around. Our keynote speakers at the last four conferences have been Black, Asian, Latine and Native/Indigenous to spotlight key perspectives our members seek.
Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship
Launched in 2019, the yearlong IRE Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting fellowship provides immersive IRE training, resources and a mentor network. Fellows remain in their newsroom and produce an investigative story/package. The program is funded by individual donations as well as organizations including ABC News, CNN, ESPN, Gray Television and Hearst Foundations. The fellowship was named in honor of murdered journalist Chauncey Bailey in 2023.
IRE on Campus
New in 2020, the program offers investigative and data training for journalism educators and students, with special opportunities for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI). In 2022, the program was expanded to all "Minority-Serving Institutions." In addition, new data journalism bootcamps offer college educators hands-on skills plus strategies for teaching with fellowships to help cover nearly all costs for educators of color.
Learn More