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October 1, 2020
Investigative Reporters and Editors awarded 189 fellowships to its first-ever virtual conference Sept. 21-25.
The fellowships included registration to the conference (a $175 value) and an IRE membership or membership renewal (a $70 value). Because the conference was online, IRE used funds that would have been used as a travel stipend for fellowship recipients to provide funds for more journalists to attend the online conference.
In addition, the Knight Foundation supported some unused IRE grant money to be used for fellowships for journalists, students and educators of color to attend the #IRE20 virtual conference.
“We are thrilled we could help a record number of journalists through our conference fellowship program, including many who were attending their first IRE event,” said Denise Malan, IRE deputy executive director. “We appreciate our funders’ generosity and support to bring this valuable training and networking to more journalists than ever before.”
Of the fellowships awarded, 56 percent went to journalists, students and educators of color, and 48 percent of the fellowships were awarded to journalists who were not previously IRE members.
Find information on all of IRE’s fellowships and scholarships here.
September 23, 2020
Investigative Reporters and Editors has named the City of Detroit and Mayor Mike Duggan as the winner of its annual Golden Padlock Award, which recognizes the most secretive U.S. agency or individual.
Detroit was selected for this national honor for its handling of a Detroit Free Press public information request and for ordering the destruction of internal documents.
Initially, city officials claimed key records the newspaper sought were lost in a corrupted file. When the Free Press demanded the files be recovered, the documents ultimately showed Duggan had ordered city officials to fundraise for a nonprofit run by a woman he was observed meeting with after hours at a suburban home.
The case also featured senior administrators ordering staff to delete emails related to the scandal – an act the city’s inspector general concluded showed “blatant disregard for transparency and good governance.”
A subsequent Free Press records request triggered a $222,000 fee estimate from the city, sparking a Free Press lawsuit, which remains before the courts.
“The siege mentality displayed by senior city officials in this case strains credulity,” said Golden Padlock committee chair Robert Cribb. “It is a reminder of the extraordinary lengths some dedicated civil servants and elected officials will go to protect self interest at the expense of the public interest.”
IRE invited Duggan and Detroit officials to receive the honor. No response was received. Detroit officials have denied the allegations in the lawsuit.
“Unfortunately, it seems more and more agencies compete for this award each year through their growing efforts to suppress information,” IRE Executive Director Doug Haddix said. “Our IRE community will keep watching, reporting and calling out violations of the public trust.”
There were no additional finalists this year.
JUDGES
CONTACT:
Robert Cribb, Golden Padlock committee chair: 416-579-0289; rcribb@thestar.ca
Doug Haddix, IRE Executive Director: 573-882-1984; doug@ire.org
September 13, 2020
An endowed gift to IRE from television journalist Rick Gevers and his wife, Karen Burns, will fund investigative journalism training for college students of color.
With the gift, IRE has established the Rick Gevers-Karen Burns Diversity Fund for College Journalists. Income from the fund will provide IRE training, resources and support annually at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions and on other campuses for the benefit of student journalists of color.
“We originally had this idea when we updated our wills four years ago,” Gevers said. “But the events of the last few months convinced Karen and me we need more journalists of color investigating and reporting now. We hope this will have a positive impact for generations.”
Other individuals and companies are invited to contribute to this new IRE diversity fund, which will support training beginning in the 2021-22 academic year through the IRE on Campus program. Other funders of IRE on Campus include Lumina Foundation and the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
“This gift is beyond generous and will allow IRE to offer training in investigative and data reporting to more students of color,” IRE Board President Cheryl W. Thompson said. “We are so grateful.”
Since 1995, Gevers has been president of Rick Gevers & Associates in Indianapolis, a representation agency for broadcast journalists across the country. He has worked more than 40 years in TV news, including more than 11 years as an award-winning news director. Gevers also produces a free weekly newsletter that tracks management changes in the broadcast industry and spotlights TV news management job openings.
Burns has worked for more than 21 years at the Indianapolis Zoo, where she serves as executive vice president. She also serves as executive director of the Indianapolis Prize, the world's leading award for animal conservation. In addition, she is active in the Indianapolis community, holding leadership positions with several organizations.
“I’m humbled and awed by the generosity of this gift,” IRE Executive Director Doug Haddix said. “Rick and Karen are leaders in their fields, and they’re paying it forward so that young journalists of color can receive training to make a difference in their communities as well as their careers.”
If you’re interested in making a donation to the Rick Gevers-Karen Burns Diversity Fund for College Journalists, please contact IRE Director of Partnerships Chris Vachon: chris@ire.org or 317-371-6780. Or, you may contribute through IRE’s secure online donation page and designate your gift for this particular fund.
September 2, 2020
We’re looking for IRE’s next Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellows! This yearlong program is designed to support diversity in investigative journalism.
The 2021 fellowship is open to U.S journalists of color with at least three years of post-college work experience. Applicants currently working in a newsroom must receive the support of their employer; freelancers are also encouraged to apply. Fellows will continue to work in their newsroom or in their freelance position for the duration of the fellowship.
Sameea Kamal of the Los Angeles Times; Josh McGhee of The Chicago Reporter; and Monica Velez of The Fresno Bee were IRE’s 2020 fellows. Their projects will be published in spring 2021.
Bracey Harris of The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, Mississippi, was IRE’s first fellow. As part of her fellowship, Harris explored the effects of school integration on black families in Mississippi, which led to an investigation published The Hechinger Report and The Clarion-Ledger in February 2020. The fellowship included training, mentorship and additional project support.
“From walking me through how to map out a long-term investigation and balance my education beat duties to recommending hands-on training to take advantage of during IRE events, my mentors have been a lifeline as I report on the most challenging project in my journalism career to date,” Harris said.
As part of the program, the fellow must propose and work on a well-developed project that benefits their community. A mentor network of IRE members will advise the fellow throughout the year or until the project is complete, whichever comes first.
The fellowship includes a suite of resources and training opportunities:
Fellowship applications are due Oct. 12. The recipient of the fellowship will be notified in November for a January 1 start date.
About the fellowship:
Generous donations from IRE members Mike Gruss, Meghan Hoyer, Megan Luther and Mike Tahani launched the Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship in 2018. Funding has grown through individual donors, conference donations and support from news organizations, including ABC News, CNN, ESPN, Gray TV and the Hearst Foundations. Support this program by making a donation.
Questions? Contact Chris Vachon, chris@ire.org or 317-371-6780.
September 1, 2020
By Bethany Barnes
Editor's Note: This story originally appeared in the IRE Journal Quarter 3 issue. Members can download and read the full issue here. Non-members can purchase for $20.
A few months into my first journalism job, I met a source at a bar. I’d met sources at bars before, including this particular source, who was decades older than me. To my shock, he kissed me. In the moment, I froze and went numb. I extracted myself without commenting on what had happened.
The next day, I woke up, went to the courthouse and did my job. I attended the sentencing for a man who’d bitten off a chunk of his girlfriend’s lip. I went back to my tiny, windowless courthouse office, filed the story and sobbed. My editors had no idea anything was wrong.
That night, I called a former professor for advice on the source. She shared similar experiences she’d had reporting, which made me feel better. I asked her if she thought I should tell my editors. No, she advised. It was possible my editors could see me as not tough enough to handle the beat or, worse, decide I had somehow been asking for it.
This advice might sound shocking or bad, but I have never regretted not telling my editors. What I have regretted is a world where sometimes that truly is the best advice.
One male journalist I told about the issue at the time responded, “ Why were you at the bar?” I could have stopped reporting in bars. I could have stopped talking to that source. But those choices felt deeply unfair.
What I decided to do was call the source and tell him his behavior was unacceptable and that I needed him to do better. In this case, that worked.
Back then, I had just graduated and moved for a job to a city where I didn’t know a soul — the path so many of us take. That time period was an achingly lonely navigation. What should I be doing to avoid a problem? How do you avoid becoming the story and still get the story? What was being scared and what was being cautious? Should behavior be called out? Redirected? Ignored or brushed off? And how did you know which move was the right one?
Later that year, I went to my first IRE conference. I was both vindicated and confused by the number of panels I went to that urged reporters to get sources by meeting them at the bar.
We can’t eradicate sexual harassment, but we can reduce the shame and fear of talking about it.
In 2017, as women began posting #MeToo with stories of harassment, I anguished over if I should share an experience on social media. I feared I would be viewed by other journalists as biased. Ultimately, I took that risk and posted about an official who’d touched my hair. When I asked him to never do that again, he refused and said, “Red is my favorite color.”
That post sparked a conversation with mentor Matt Apuzzo, who reached out to tell me he was proud of me for calling out these issues. I told him about my experience all those years ago at the bar, and he encouraged me to pitch an IRE panel, which I did.
I’ve learned so much from the journalists who shared their thoughts: those I spoke to while researching the panel, those who gave their time as panelists, those who shared tips during the Q&A and those who reached out privately in response.
HANDLING HARASSMENT
Women journalists who have participated in IRE’s conference panels on harassment have tips for dealing with unwanted sexual advances.
For Reporters
Set the tone early. Too often, the advice we get is to cut off communication with a sexual harasser. You’ll find many sources are not repeat offenders, and if you set the tone early, you’ll have a good, reliable source of information.
Different sources call for different strategies:
• Does this person seem like they don’t understand your role as a reporter? Because you’re asking very intimate questions, they might feel a closeness to you. Explain your role to them. You’re here to learn and ask questions. That could be enough to stop the behavior and carry on.
• Are they testing the waters? A single response will tell them all they need to know. Try ignoring the comment or laughing extra loudly. You can also be direct. “No.” Another option is to flat out ignore it and steamroll ahead. Whatever your tactic, follow up with a question that brings it back to the reporting. A line Sarah Stillman suggested in a great video made by DART: “That’s not going to work for me.” This shifts the problem to being about you, not them (saving them some face) and is clear, direct and easy to remember.
• Is this person a predator? Are they trying to make you uncomfortable, take advantage of you or cross the line? Cut them off. Inform your editor or a trusted person in the newsroom.
For Editors
• Don’t dismiss the reporter’s experience by trying to reason out or explain what happened as the source being from an older generation. Don’t justify the source's actions.
• Be a good listener. A well-intended impulse can be to try and protect a reporter by advising them to cease contact with the source or to offer to call and chew out the person, but often this takes agency away from the reporter. It can be tempting to want to solve the problem, but reporters need a trusted and patient ear to be a sounding board about what happened.
• Be present. Ask yourself: If one of my reporters were being harassed, would they be comfortable telling me?
Shoshana Walter of Reveal, who co-planned IRE’s harassment panels with Bethany Barnes, helped compile these tips.
August 20, 2020
If you’d like to be featured in the #IRE20 kickoff video that will be shown during the Investigative Reporters and Editors virtual conference Sept. 21-25, follow these instructions. (Note: The footage you submit will be used during the #IRE20 Watchdog from Home virtual conference and will be posted on IRE’s social media channels).
All videos must be submitted by Sept. 6 in order to be included.
Step 1: Scout your location
The #IRE20 kickoff video will showcase the variety of locations from which attendees will be joining the conference. Find a landmark in your city (or your favorite spot), and head there to film!
Step 2: Record your video
**Note** If you are recording on a phone, make sure you record your video holding the phone horizontally.
Once you’re at your location, it’s time to record! Any recording device such as a smartphone or camera will do. You can record yourself or have someone with you to help the recording.
Stand in front of your location, and do any movement you prefer — get creative! It can be a wave, thumbs up, your favorite dance move, etc. Just make sure the video is at least 10 seconds in length! And it’s OK if you record yourself walking to your location or back to your phone — our digital team will edit the video to get only you in front of your location.
OR
Stand in front of your location, and say one of the following phrases (or come up with your own!):
Step 3: Send us your video
**Note** Send your video in an MOV or MP4 format.
Send the video file as well as your name, job title and organization, and the location in your video to web@ire.org. If the file is too large for the email, you can send through https://wetransfer.com/
August 10, 2020
IRE is announcing a series of online data mini-bootcamps to train members in data skills such as spreadsheets, SQL, data visualization and programming.
Each mini-bootcamp lasts two days and will be taught fully online using free tools so members can learn from home or the office. IRE’s experienced trainers will lead all the sessions through a mix of hands-on instruction, small group activities and open labs.
IRE has taught hands-on data journalism bootcamps for more than 25 years. This is the first year IRE has offered online data training after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancelation and postponement of in-person training events.
For more information on the skills taught or to register for a bootcamp, click the links below:
Spreadsheets & Tableau (Oct. 13-14, Oct. 19-20): A crash course in fundamentals of spreadsheets and Tableau data viz for data beginners wanting to learn the fundamentals of both.
Spreadsheets (Nov. 16-17, 2020): Data beginners can learn the basics of using spreadsheets for data analysis, finding and gathering data, and dealing with dirty data. This session will be taught using Google Sheets.
SQL (Dec. 7-8, 2020): Structured Query Language can help you analyze millions of records and bring together multiple tables. This session will be taught using DB Browser for SQLite.
Data viz using Tableau (Feb. 1-2, 2021): Learn the fundamentals of using Tableau, a free and powerful tool for building and embedding highly customizable visualizations, with no programming necessary.
Python (Feb. 8-9, 2021): For those familiar with data analysis and ready to take on a programming language, this class will teach the fundamentals of Python syntax and introduce the pandas data analysis library.
R & RStudio (Feb. 16-17, 2021): This course will introduce you to R, a free, open-source and powerful programming language for cleaning, analyzing and visualizing data, as well as statistical analysis.
Class size: All bootcamps are limited to 20 attendees each to ensure quality instruction, so sign up soon to secure a seat.
Cost & Registration: Available at the links above for each camp
Questions: Contact training@ire.org
July 16, 2020
IRE is now accepting applications for our popular conference mentoring program. If you plan to attend the IRE 2020 virtual conference and you’re looking for a mentor — or you’d like to volunteer to be a mentor — please click here to sign up.
This year’s program, being online, will look a little different. But IRE will still match mentors with mentees and arrange for them to meet at a special event during the conference. Please review the program guidelines and the IRE Principles before applying.
Thank you to the Scripps Howard Foundation and the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University for sponsoring this program.
Space is limited and not everyone who applies is guaranteed a spot. IRE will accept applications until midnight CT on Friday, Aug. 28. If the program is full, your application will be added to a waitlist.
⚠️ You must register for the conference by midnight CT on Friday, Sept. 4, to participate in the mentorship program.
Please contact IRE training director Cody Winchester with any questions: cody@ire.org.
July 14, 2020
IRE’s popular NICAR Course Packs will be fully updated for the latest versions of Excel on PC and Mac, plus a new Google Sheets edition, for use in fall 2020 classes.
NICAR Course Packs contain everything instructors need to teach an introductory data journalism class in spreadsheets. Materials for students include hands-on exercises, more than 15 real-world datasets and tips to help them learn data skills. In addition, educators receive a teaching guide with instructions for each lesson, plus teaching tips from IRE trainers learned over many years of hands-on training. The course packs cover about two to three weeks of class time.
The Course Packs can be used for classes taught in person, online, or in hybrid formats many colleges are considering during the pandemic.
NICAR Courses were launched in 2014 and have been used to teach more than 1,000 students. The Course Packs previously were available for Excel (PC and Mac).
New this year is a version for teaching and learning using Google Sheets, a free spreadsheet program increasingly taught in schools and used by journalists.
The updated Excel and new Google Sheets Course Packs will be available by the end of July. Course Packs are free for instructors and $20 for students.
Educators can sign up here to be notified when Course Packs are ready, to receive a preview of the courses, and/or to give input on other data skills you would like to see available in course packs as IRE continues to build this program.
July 9, 2020
IRE recently awarded six fellowships to educators of color to IRE’s first Online Data Bootcamp for Educators and three fellowships to educators of color to IRE’s first in-person Data Bootcamp for Educators in January at the University of Arizona, thanks to the generosity of the Lumina Foundation and the Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University. IRE is fortunate to have this funding in order to support educators of color in the data journalism community.
The following educators were selected for IRE’s first Educator of Color Fellowships:
Deb Aikat, University of North Carolina
Ruxandra Guidi, University of Arizona
Milton Kent, Morgan State University
Arionne Nettles, Northwestern University
Michael Randolph, Eastern Kentucky University
Yanick Rice Lamb, Howard University
Richelle Rogers, Loyola University Chicago
Ingrid Sturgis, Howard University
Jiafei Yin, Central Michigan University
If you are interested in applying for an Educator of Color Fellowship for financial assistance to the Data Bootcamp for Educators taking place in Tucson, Arizona, January 5-9, you can get more information here. The application due date is October 12th.
For information about financial assistance to all future IRE training programs, you can sign up to receive IRE’s newsletter about fellowship opportunities.
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