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.

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.

A year after that first meeting, about 300 reporters attended the first IRE conference in Indianapolis. 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.

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.

The IRE staff works tirelessly to provide you with the resources and training opportunities you need as reporters and editors.