The recent hacks of the Associated Press, CBS, and the Guardian’s Twitter accounts have raised questions about the vulnerability of newsrooms and the real world effects wrought by hackers. After continued attacks by the Syrian Electronic Army, Twitter recommended on April 29th that organizations should take precautions to prepare for further hacks. NPR was also hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army. This year,  Bloomberg News, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post also have reported being hacked.

So what can news organizations do to tighten up security? And how do journalists cover cybersecurity?

Mike ...

The Justice Department’s seizure of telephone records from editors and reporters of The Associated Press was an attack against a free press with dangerous implications for the ability of journalists to gather information, the president of Investigative Reporters and Editors said Tuesday.

“This is what police states do, not governments of the people,” IRE Board President David Cay Johnston said.

“Journalists have a duty to watchdog the government and hold it accountable without surveillance or other interference,” Johnston said.

The Justice Department secretly obtained two months worth of phone records for more than 20 lines assigned to AP and ...

Lawrence Wright, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning book "The Looming Tower" and the new book "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief", will be at the 2013 IRE Conference, appearing on a panel and also playing with his band, the Who Do Band, at IRE's closing reception on Saturday night. What else is happening at the IRE Conference that you don't want to miss? Click here to find out ...

Two men were killed by gunmen in Chihuahua, Mexico, Saturday morning who are both sons of different well-known Mexican journalists, Reuters reported. A spokesman told Reuters that the deaths of the two men were unrelated to their parents' professions. The incident prefaced another later that weekend in which authorities found seven people dead in a car in a suburb near Mexico City Sunday morning, according to the Reuters article.

"Mexican journalists are often targeted and killed by drug cartels for reporting on their activities." Reuters reported. A recent story in the Texas Observer reported on the unsolved murder of El ...

At its June 20 meeting during our annual conference in San Antonio, the IRE Board of Directors will consider modifying the policy that bans entries in the IRE Awards if a Board member has been involved with a story at any level.

IRE currently has one of the strictest such policies of any journalism contest. Under the policy, any involvement by a board member makes a story ineligible. In addition to writing, reporting, editing and producing, this has been interpreted to include senior editors who helped provide direction or did a final read on a project.

The policy was designed ...

We hope you’ve already made plans to join us at San Antonio’s Riverwalk on June 20-23 at #IRE13 where for the first time in seven years, Investigative Reporters and Editors will bring its amazing annual conference back to Texas.  http://ire.org/conferences/ire-2013. 

The line-up already includes prominent Pulitzer-prize winners, like the bilingual bicultural team that brought you the Mexico Walmart investigation – Alejandra Xanic Van Bertrab and David Barstow, who published a joint investigation of corporate corruption in The New York Times. There will be legendary editors like Leonard Downie Jr. and ProPublica’s Steve Engelberg, as ...

In 2012 IRE added a new fellowship in remembrance of longtime IRE member and supporter David Dietz. The fellowship honors his memory and legacy by helping a journalist who has demonstrated an interest in financial investigative journalism and who has fewer than 10 years professional experience. This fellowship covers IRE conference registration fees, provides $750 in reimbursed travel and lodging expenses and a one-year IRE membership. The winner of this fellowship will also be enrolled in IRE's mentorship program and will be paired with a top investigative journalist in the field of financial journalism, for a year-long mentorship, which ...

Make your plans now to join us in San Antonio for the 2013 Investigative Reporters and Editors Conference.

Check out the list of panels and sessions -- this isn't everything, just a sampling of what you'll be able to dig into when we gather from June 20-23.

Keynote speaker Marcela Turati will detail the dangers journalists face in Mexico. We'll showcase sports investigations with help from Deadspin, The Washington Post's Sally Jenkins and more. And in dozens of panels and hands-on sessions, you'll be armed with the tools, tips and strategies you need to ...

Through the generosity of the Philip L. Graham Fund and the Chicago Tribune Foundation, IRE is pleased to offer Minority Fellowships to allow a limited number of professional journalists to attend the CAR (still accepting applications) and IRE conferences. These fellowships cover a 1-year IRE membership; conference registration fees; up to $600 for hotel accommodations and $500 reimbursement for travel.

Applicants for these awards should identify themselves with one of the minority groups listed on the application.

Conference Information:

• CAR 2013 Louisville
• IRE 2013 San Antonio

Questions: Contact John Green at jgreen@ire.org or 573-882-2772