IRE offers new online training

During the coronavirus crisis, IRE is offering a series of webinars and recorded trainings to help our members and all journalists in these unprecedented times. 

The webinars are free and open to IRE members and non-member journalists, students and educators. IRE is committed to bringing all journalists the training they need to help cover the crisis and take care of themselves as they inform their communities. The webinars are provided through a generous sponsorship of the Inasmuch Foundation (formerly Excellence and Ethics in Journalism).

We will list the trainings here, along with details on how to join them live or view recordings after the events. This page will be continually updated as we confirm new events and add recordings of previous events.

You can also tell us what other types of training you’d like to see during these times by filling out our quick survey.

PREVIOUSLY RECORDED

You are as important as the work

Speakers: Mar Cabra of OdiseIA and Acumen; Kim Brice of Grace & Grit; and Benét J. Wilson of The Points Guy and Aviation Queen LLC. Sisi Wei and Ryan Pitts of OpenNews and Denise Malan of IRE will moderate.

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded June 26, 2020.

Description: Taking care of yourself is not a self-indulgence, it’s a necessity for doing your best work and sustaining the work that you are passionate about. During this time of enormous disruption and uncertainty, journalists are battling on multiple fronts: Keeping up with the two major stories COVID-19 and racial justice protests, while also fighting for change in their newsrooms and dealing with high levels of stress or even trauma from all of the above. Come to this session to press pause and reflect on how you’re coping with these situations. You’ll learn some practical tips to take better care of yourself, and to support your colleagues in doing so as well.

Resources: Tipsheet here.

Summer Means Sunlight: Investigative angles on education stories in the COVID-19 era

Speakers: Tawnell Hobbs of The Wall Street Journal; Jon Marcus of The Hechinger Report; and Krista Torralva of San Antonio Express-News. Emily Richmond of the Education Writers Association and Francisco Vara-Orta of IRE will moderate.

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded June 25, 2020.

Description: The pandemic is causing an unprecedented disruption to the education of millions of students nationwide, with more questions than answers. Whether you are an education beat reporter or are interested in investigating schools, colleges or universities, what are the stories this summer amid COVID-19 you can be working on?

Come learn about some of the most pressing education issues to cover and what's ahead. And learn about key areas investigative journalists and beat reporters should be digging into before the new academic year begins: K-12 school district governance, education budgets, and oversight of colleges and universities. What records should you be requesting? What roadblocks may arise? Come with your questions!

This webinar is co-hosted by Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and Education Writers Association (EWA).

Resources: Tipsheet here

How to create a more inclusive newsroom

Speakers: Maria Carrillo of the Tampa Bay Times; Julia B. Chan of KQED News, San Francisco; and Matt Thompson of Reveal from the Center for Investigative Reporting. Martin Reynolds of the Maynard Institute and Francisco Vara-Orta of IRE will moderate.

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded June 4, 2020.

Description: Are you serious about making sure newsrooms and their work reflects the communities we cover? Especially as COVID-19 disproportionately affects historically marginalized people - and on the cusp of an election impacted by racism?

Earlier this year, the IRE Journal devoted an entire issue to diversity and inclusion in the investigative and data journalism space. It was spurred in part by a panel discussion at our 2019 national conference in Houston focused on helping retain journalists of color and others underrepresented in the field and which went viral on social media for its low attendance.

The IRE Journal issue's centerpiece resurfaced some of what was missed in that Houston conference panel, and now we're offering this webinar for journalists to come listen and ask questions of experts on what it's really like for people working to keep journalism relevant in a changing nation by pushing for more inclusive newsrooms to meet the needs of their audiences and responsibilities as watchdogs.

Resources: Tipsheet here.

Investigating the stimulus

Speakers: Philip Mattera, Good Jobs First; Ben Popken, NBC News; Cheryl W. Thompson, NPR

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded May 21, 2020.

Description: The CARES Act is a $2 trillion stimulus bill with aid for workers and businesses, but the government hasn't released many details about which businesses are receiving loans. Learn how reporters and watchdog organizations are tracking the dollars, and how their work can help you cover stimulus spending in your own community

Resources: Tipsheet here.

Sourcing during the time of COVID

Speakers: Bethany Barnes, Tampa Bay Times; Nicole Carr, WSB-Atlanta; Laura Morel, Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting; Beena Raghavendran, ProPublica

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded May 19, 2020.

Description: When you can't take the best sourcing advice (get out of the office, meet with people in person, etc), how do you find and cultivate sources? Join this webinar to learn unique and innovative ways to get ahold of sources and convince them to talk.

Resources: Tipsheet here

IRE chat: Kat McGrory on how politics can influence COVID-19 data

Speakers: Kat McGrory, deputy investigations editor at the Tampa Bay Times; interview conducted by IRE training director Cody Winchester

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded May 13, 2020.

Description: For decades, Florida medical examiners have released a list of statewide deaths, including recent deaths attributed to the COVID-19 virus. After the Tampa Bay Times wrote a story pointing out that the medical examiners' list was about 10 percent larger than the list touted by the state department of health, which uses a different method to tally COVID-19 deaths, the public was blocked from seeing the medical examiners' list -- a longstanding public record. Listen to this interview to hear what happened next and pick up some tips on navigating the politics of this data in your market.

Behind the story: Tracking COVID-19 in nursing homes

Speakers: Tyler Dukes of WRAL; Emily Featherston of WECT; Nick Ochsner of WBTV; Jordan Schrader of the News & Observer; Lucille Sherman of the News & Observer; and Frank Taylor of Carolina Public Press

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded May 12, 2020.

Description: As the coronavirus tears through nursing homes in North Carolina, state officials have refused to identify facilities with outbreaks. Reporters from six local news organizations teamed up to challenge this policy and investigate the situation. Hear from the reporting team about what made the collaboration work and pick up some tips on pursuing a similar investigation in your market.

Resources: Tipsheet here.

Behind the story: Government accountability

Speakers: Willoughby Mariano, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Aneri Pattani, Spotlight PA; Steven Rich, The Washington Post

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded May 7, 2020.

Description: Learn how to hold public officials accountable from journalists who are doing it in their COVID-19 reporting. We'll cover story strategies that show how past budget cuts are affecting reopening efforts in Pennsylvania, how published data from Georgia's Department of Public Health is causing confusion and how you can use data compiled by The Washington Post to find public companies who have reported receiving money from the Paycheck Protection Program.

Resources: Tipsheet here.

For students: How to best prepare for summer and beyond with or without an internship amid COVID-19

Speakers: Norma Guerra Gaier, University of Texas; Linda Shockley, Dow Jones News Fund; Chip Mahaney, The E.W. Scripps Co. 

Watch: The recording of the video can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded May 1, 2020.

Description: By now, students would be finalizing plans for a summer internship and looking forward to getting into their first newsroom. But due to COVID-19 concerns, students are instead seeing internship opportunities dry up altogether, or will have a very different experience likely having to work remote. Learn from experts on how to make the most out of this summer to keep you on the journalism career-bound track.

Resources: Tipsheet here.

So you manage a remote team now

Speakers: Kate Howard, the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting; Mark Rochester, Type Investigations; and Liz Roldan, CBS Miami. Audrey Cooper of the San Francisco Chronicle will moderate the panel.

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting “English CC.” Recorded April 29, 2020.

Description: With many journalists working from home, newsroom managers are having to adapt to new workflows while supervising remote teams. Learn some tips on handling the transition from folks who managed remote teams before the pandemic -- and from folks like you who are learning as they go.

Resources: View the tipsheet here.

Behind the story: Covering populations vulnerable to COVID-19

Speakers: Keri Blakinger, The Marshall Project; Samah Assad, CBS2 Chicago; Nicole Foy, Idaho Statesman; and Trisha Thadani, San Francisco Chronicle.

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting "English CC." Recorded April 27, 2020.

Description: Amid all the story angles of COVID-19, those marginalized in our nation's history likely could be so again — as data already shows them disproportionately affected by the virus. Learn from journalists who are covering some of the country's most vulnerable populations and how you can do so as well. We'll discuss covering communities of color, the elderly, immigrants and the undocumented, as well as those in prison and jail and others who work in those facilities.

Resources: Tipsheet here and slides here.

Investigating higher ed amid COVID-19

Speakers: Elizabeth Brixey, Missouri School of Journalism; Michael Vasquez, Chronicle of Higher Education; Shera Avi-Yonah, The Harvard Crimson; and Mike Hiestand, SPLC's senior legal counsel. Hosted by David Herzog, IRE & Missouri School of Journalism; Sarah Hutchins, IRE; Denise Malan, IRE.

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting "English CC." Recorded April 22, 2020.

Description: Student journalists can dig deep when covering their own campuses, especially in the wake of COVID-19. Learn how to investigate higher education with a focus on essential data and documents. Also, hear about higher ed stories that can be done in any newsroom. This webinar was part of the IRE-Mizzou Watchdog Series, a monthly seminar in partnership with the Missouri School of Journalism.

Resources: View the tipsheet here.

Covering job losses and economic fallout from coronavirus

Speakers: Paul Overberg, The Wall Street Journal; Keith Taylor, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis; Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting "English CC." Recorded April 15, 2020.

Description: The economic toll from the coronavirus pandemic is hard to fathom. This session will cover finding data to quantify and dig into the economic fallout, as well as finding the human stories to illustrate the staggering toll. Panelists will show how to find and use economic data from the St. Louis Fed, how to dig into WARN reports of layoffs in your state, and crowdsourcing to find human sources, especially among vulnerable populations.

Resources: View the tipsheet here.

Fact-checking coronavirus stories

Co-hosted with Society of Professional Journalists

Speakers: Rachana Pradhan, Kaiser Health News; Samantha Sunne, independent journalist; Cristina Tardáguila, International Fact Checking Network; Claire Wardle, First Draft News

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting "English CC." Recorded April 9, 2020.

Description: The coronavirus pandemic has created a steady stream of misinformation on social media, questionable websites and from political leaders across the globe. Learn from fact-checking and health reporting pros on how to find and verify facts, track hoaxes and the spread of misinformation, and ultimately bring your audiences the high-quality, fact-based reporting they need.

Resources: View the tipsheet here. 

IRE Chat: Janine Zacharia on covering disinformation

Speakers: Janine Zacharia, journalist and lecturer at Stanford University; interview conducted by IRE training director Cody Winchester.

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting "English CC." Recorded April 6, 2020.

Description: Zacharia discusses the recommendations in her new report, written with Stanford colleague Andrew Grotto, on how journalists can report on disinformation and propaganda responsibly. The 10-point playbook includes recommendations for newsrooms on developing social media guidelines, protocols for determining the origin of viral content and more.

Finding COVID-19 data and responsible context

Co-hosted with Reynolds Journalism Institute

Speakers: Caroline Chen, ProPublica; Armand Emamdjomeh, The Washington Post; Jennifer LaFleur, American University/The Investigative Reporting Workshop; and Cheryl Phillips of Big Local News at Stanford University. Hosted by Kat Duncan of Reynolds Journalism Institute and Denise Malan of IRE.

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player. Recorded April 3.

Description: Panelists will address where journalists can find accurate data about COVID-19, share advice for using the data within larger context responsibly and ways to deliver that information to communities in easily understandable formats for the greatest impact.

Resources: View the tipsheet here.

Fighting for open records during the COVID-19 crisis

Co-hosted with Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press

Speakers: Adam Marshall and Gunita Singh, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; Jason Leopold, BuzzFeed News; hosted by Denise Malan of IRE

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting "English CC." Recorded April 1.

Description: Panelists will discuss specific records to ask for to investigate coronavirus response at all levels of government, and resources to help push back against agencies that say they can't fill requests during this crisis. Bring your questions.

This webinar is co-hosted by IRE and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, which is gathering and continually updating legal resources for reporters covering the crisis here: https://www.rcfp.org/covid-19-resource/.

Resources: View the tipsheet with tips and resources mentioned on the call, plus answers to additional questions

TV and radio broadcasting from home

Co-hosted with RTDNA

Speakers: Eric Flack, investigative reporter at WUSA9 Washington; Danielle Leigh, investigative reporter at ABC7 New York/WABC; and Lee Zurik, director of investigations for Gray Television and chief investigative reporter at WVUE in New Orleans. Hosted by Cindy Galli, chief of investigative projects for ABC News and Denise Malan, deputy executive director of IRE

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting "English CC." Recorded March 28, 2020.

Description: Step inside the living rooms of veteran local TV and radio investigative reporters to see how they've adapted to "work from home." So how do you do it? How are we all broadcasting from home? What do you need gear-wise? What are best practices for Skype interviews? How do you make TV or radio without a studio? Can you actually create a green screen in your apartment? (Hint: yes, we've done it). Join IRE and RTDNA members for an informal chat as we all swap ideas and navigate a new normal together.

Resources: View the tipsheet with all the apps, tools and tips mentioned in the webinar here

How journalists can fight stress from covering COVID-19

Speakers: Al Tompkins of Poynter and Sidney Tompkins, licensed psychotherapist; hosted by IRE Executive Director Doug Haddix

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting "English CC." Recorded March 25, 2020.

Description: Al Tompkins of Poynter and Sidney Tompkins, a licensed psychotherapist, have been working with newsrooms to help journalists manage traumatic stress. Now, with nonstop coverage of the coronavirus spread, self-quarantines and economic fallout, journalists are facing an unprecedented amount of stress. Al and Sidney will give a short presentation and then talk with attendees about the challenges they face and strategies to cope.

Other resources mentioned during the webinar: Poynter post about taking care of yourself while covering coronavirus, by Al and Sidney Tompkins. Poynter post including links to articles about avoiding weight gain while working from home.

IRE Chat: Getting the most out of interviewing from home 

Speakers: Fernanda Santos, former New York Times journalist and professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University; interview conducted by IRE Editorial Director Madison Fleck.

Watch: The recording can be viewed here. Closed captioning is available by clicking the CC button in the bottom right of the player and selecting "English CC." Recorded March 24, 2020.

Description: Fernanda Santos has been working through workarounds for interviewing with her journalism students at Arizona State University. She shares her tips on how to still get the most out of interviews and how to get to know sources, even when reporting virtually.