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IRE’s popular free custom training program is back for 2022. Spots in the program are limited and awarded on a competitive basis, and newsrooms must apply by Jan. 9.
The Total Newsroom Training (TNT) program brings an IRE trainer to selected newsrooms for two days of training on investigative and data reporting techniques, including hands-on data skills training — all at no cost. Training is customized for each newsroom and can include public records, social media sleuthing, and other sessions from IRE’s custom training menu.
The program is meant to help small- to medium-size news organizations improve the depth of their coverage. Preference will be given to newsrooms in rural areas and smaller cities, smaller newsrooms in large markets, and newsrooms founded and run by those coming from and serving historically marginalized communities.
Newsrooms can decide whether their training is delivered virtually or in person as pandemic conditions permit. The newsroom must be committed to allowing a significant portion of its staff and management to attend the full two days of training and track their progress after the training.
Since 2013, the TNT program has provided free training for 65 newsrooms around the U.S.
“We hear from newsroom management and journalists seeking training that financial barriers get in the way of acquiring the tools and tactics they need to produce better watchdog stories,” said Francisco Vara-Orta, IRE’s director of diversity and inclusion. “The TNT program aims to create greater equity in what IRE offers by providing access to training that some newsrooms haven’t always had, which is vital in an era of local news deserts impacting our democracy.”
The deadline for applications is Jan. 9. The application form must be filled out by the editor, news director or equivalent.
For more information, view the TNT program page or contact Vara-Orta at francisco@ire.org
Registration is open for IRE’s hybrid NICAR22 data journalism conference, which runs March 3-6 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis and online. The conference will feature hands-on data classes, panels and discussions, and opportunities to network with fellow journalists.
Members will have the choice of registering for the in-person conference or for online-only access. Register by Jan. 18, 2022, to secure the early-bird rate of $295 for professionals in-person. After that date, professional registration will be $325 until March 1 for in-person. The on-site registration rate of $405 for professionals will begin on March 2, 2022. Virtual registration will remain at $195 for professionals. Students may register at any time for $100 in person and $50 for virtual only. IRE membership is required to attend and must be current through April 1.
IRE is keeping the health and safety of our members at the forefront of planning the conference. We have implemented numerous safety protocols to ensure attendee safety, including requiring in-person attendees be fully vaccinated prior to the event.
Those who attend the conference virtually will have access to some conference sessions, live-streamed and recorded. They also will have access to IRE’s on-demand data labs to learn hands-on data skills such as spreadsheets, SQL and programming languages. Members who attend the conference in person also will have access to the recorded sessions online.
“We’re looking forward to our first in-person conference in two years,” said IRE Executive Director Diana R. Fuentes. “We have been conducting informative, engaging virtual sessions during the pandemic, but there’s nothing quite like in-person connections.”
“NICAR22 is a wonderful opportunity to visit with old friends and make new ones while honing investigative and data journalism skills. Join us!”
Sign up for the NICAR22 email newsletter to receive major updates and reminders of key dates/deadlines surrounding the conference.
How do I register for NICAR22?
First, make sure you have a current IRE membership through April 1, 2022. You can do that by logging into your account on the website and going to Manage Memberships in your Member Dashboard.
Next, go to either the virtual conference or in-person conference ticket page. The correct price for your membership level will show up in the ‘Get Tickets’ block. Click ‘Add to cart’ and follow the steps to check out.
If the ticket block is blank, please check that you are logged into your account with a current membership. If you still need help, email logistics@ire.org.
How do I make a reservation at the conference hotel in the discounted room block?
The conference is taking place at The Atlanta Marriott Marquis. IRE has secured a discounted block of rooms. The room rate is $215 (single/double) per night plus tax. This block is available until Wednesday, February 9, 2022, or until the block is full (whichever occurs first). If you need to cancel your reservation, you must do so 72 hours prior to your arrival to avoid any cancellation fees. To make a reservation, click here. For any questions on lodging or travel, please email logistics@ire.org.
What sessions can I expect at NICAR22?
View a list of expected sessions here. Full session and speaker details will be released in early 2022.
NICAR22 will offer a mix of panels, demos, discussions, networking, and hands-on data training.
Those who register for the virtual event only will have access to some of the sessions from the in-person conference, either live streamed or recorded, plus on-demand hands-on labs to learn data skills.
Will there be Lightning Talks?
Lightning Talks, a much-anticipated session at every NICAR conference, will be part of the hybrid experience as well. Lightning Talks are 5-minute presentations on particular skills, tools or techniques. Pitches are submitted and voted on by NICAR22 attendees.
Lightning Talks will be open to pitches soon. Sign up for the NICAR22 email newsletter to receive detailed updates on major announcements and the planning process.
Does IRE offer fellowships to attend?
Fellowships are available for the following communities:
Fellowships include a complimentary IRE membership/renewal ($25 for students/$70 for pros) and a complimentary conference registration. Applications are due by Jan. 10, 2022.
For more information and to apply, visit our fellowships page.
Will there be a mentorship program?
Yes, there will be a mentorship program. Details and sign-up information will be released in the coming weeks.
How do I keep up with all the news about NICAR22?
Sign up here to receive email newsletters with all the latest NICAR22 announcements about sessions, Lightning Talks, the T-shirt contest, office hour signups and more!
What precautions is IRE taking due to COVID-19?
IRE is keeping the health and safety of our members at the forefront of planning the conference. We have implemented numerous safety protocols to ensure attendee safety.
What is the schedule like for the conference?
The in-person conference begins Thursday, March 3 at 9am (ET) and ends Sunday, March 6 at 12:30pm (ET). The conference runs all day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. In-person registration includes the welcome reception on Thursday evening and the Philip Meyer reception on Friday evening.
Schedule at a glance (in-person)
Thursday
8:15am - Welcome first timers session
9 am - NICAR22 kicks off with first session block
12-2pm - Lunch on your own
5 pm - Sessions end
5:15 pm - Networking opportunities
6pm - Welcome reception
Friday
9am - Sessions begin
12-2pm - Lunch on your own
5pm - Lightning Talks
6:15pm - Phil Meyer Award Presentation
6:30pm - Phil Meyer Reception
Saturday
9am - Sessions begin
12-2pm - Lunch on your own
5 pm - Sessions end
5:15 pm - Networking opportunities
Sunday
9am - Sessions begin
12:30pm - NICAR22 ends
Schedule at a glance (virtual)
Thursday
8:30am - Welcome session
9am - NICAR22 kicks off with first session block
12-2pm - Lunch on your own
5pm - Sessions end for the day
Friday
9am - Sessions begin
12-2pm - Lunch on your own
5pm - Lightning Talks
Saturday
9am - Sessions begin
12-2pm - Lunch on your own
5pm - Sessions end
Anzio Williams, a broadcasting veteran who now oversees diversity efforts for NBCUniversal Local, will deliver the keynote address of IRE’s first symposium focused on equity in newsrooms and coverage.
Williams was named Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the division of NBCUniversal that includes 43 NBC/Telemundo owned stations, six regional sports networks and multicast networks COZI TV, TeleXitos and new network NBCLX, in August 2020. He previously was Vice President of News for NBCUniversal’s Philadelphia stations.
“We are delighted to have a speaker of Mr. Williams’ caliber at our first event focused on equity and inclusion,” said IRE Executive Director Diana Fuentes. “His enthusiasm and thought-provoking insights are both challenging and inspiring. His talk is sure to be a highlight of the symposium. You won’t want to miss it!”
The DBEI Symposium on diversity, belonging, equity and inclusion, will be held online Oct. 21-22. The symposium will focus on helping journalists with newsroom diversity issues and with investigating inequality in their communities, from education and health care to housing and climate change. More information, including registration and the full schedule, can be found on IRE’s website.
Before joining NBCUniversal, Williams spent 12 years with Hearst Television, including at WDSU in New Orleans where he spearheaded the station’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina, the storm’s aftermath and multi-year recovery efforts. Before this, he worked as Assistant News Director at NBC affiliate stations in Orlando, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina. He launched his career in broadcast as a Sports and News Producer for WFMY in Greensboro, North Carolina.
A recipient of nine Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement, Best Newscast, Breaking News and Continuing Coverage, he was a member of news teams honored with six Edward R. Murrow and two George Foster Peabody Awards. Williams will give the address on Oct. 21 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
IRE’s first symposium on diversity and inclusion is going online Oct. 21-22, allowing members to join safely from their hometowns around the world as the pandemic continues.
The DBEI Symposium on diversity, belonging, equity and inclusion had originally been planned as a hybrid event, including an in-person component in Baltimore, but IRE is moving the event fully online because of the continued uncertainty of the coronavirus delta variant situation.
“IRE already had a robust virtual program well underway for the symposium and our staff and supporters are now finalizing the transition to fully virtual as we count down the weeks to this unique event,” said IRE Executive Director Diana Fuentes. “We’re working to create a safe environment to engage in difficult discussions about diversity, belonging, equity and inclusion issues. These discussions — and subsequent actions — are vital for the future of our industry. We hope you’ll join us.”
The symposium schedule can be viewed here, and new sessions and speakers are continually being added. The symposium will include a mix of panels, small-group conversations, networking and master classes, which are 2- to 3-hour deep-dive workshops. All sessions are included in the registration fee of $150 for professional members or $50 for student members. IRE membership is required to attend.
Sessions will provide journalists with tools to help make their newsrooms more diverse and inclusive as well as how to better cover historically marginalized communities and topics. There will be sessions geared toward reporters, editors, educators and students.
“We’ve got plenty of work to do to get to all the dimensions of DBEI work we are called to in order to improve our journalism, and IRE is committed to helping push those conversations forward,” said Francisco Vara-Orta, IRE’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion. “It’s a pivotal moment in history to rise to the occasion for journalists, and these panels we hope will help our colleagues feel better equipped to tackle their work inside and outside of newsrooms with more specific guidance and support.”
The symposium will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Eastern U.S. Time on both days, to allow for participation across the United States and around the world. Training sessions will be recorded and available for attendees on demand on the conference platform after the conference is over.
Below are answers to some frequently asked questions.
What will registration cost for the virtual DBEI21 symposium?
Registration rates are:
Attendees must be members of current members of IRE through October ($70/professional, $25/students).
Will you have fellowships available?
Yes! With the switch to a virtual format, IRE anticipates having more fellowships available that cover the cost of registration and a one-year IRE membership. Click here for more information and to apply. You also can sign up for our DBEI21 Symposium newsletter to receive more information about fellowships as it is released.
I’ve never been to a virtual conference. How will it work?
Attendees will access session links on the Guidebook platform. The conference site will be private and accessible only to attendees. You will receive access to the conference platform about a week prior to the conference.
Will I need special equipment or software to participate?
All you’ll need is Internet access and a computer, laptop or tablet — much as you need to participate in an online video meeting. Google Chrome is the recommended browser, and attendees will need to download Zoom to access sessions
What if I’m working, attending class or dealing with other obligations that cause me to miss some sessions?
That’s the beauty of a virtual conference. Most sessions (excluding networking and small-group conversations) will be recorded and available to attendees following the conference. You can view them at your convenience. Most sessions will include video plus any related tipsheets and slide decks.
Will there be swag?
Yes, T-shirts, mugs, stickers and other items will be available for purchase in the IRE Store and will be shipped to you.
How can I become a sponsor of the virtual #DBEI21 conference?
The virtual platform offers many enticing opportunities for sponsors. If you’d like information on the benefits of sponsoring #DBEI21, please contact Anna Lopez, IRE director of partnerships, by email: anna@ire.org.
How can I keep up with new developments connected to #DBEI21?
Just sign up here to receive e-mail updates about #DBEI21. It’s the best way to stay up-to-date on the latest virtual conference news.
What if I have other questions?
Please contact logistics@ire.org. We’re here to help!
Investigative Reporters and Editors is gearing up to start planning the 2022 NICAR Conference, held in Atlanta March 3-6.
Use this form to share ideas, suggestions and other comments to help us plan the best possible conference. No suggestion is too big or too small. The form will be open through Oct. 10.
We’re also starting an email list so you can keep up with all the news about #NICAR22, including speakers, sessions, travel information, fellowship deadlines and more. Sign up here to receive those emails.
The NICAR Conference holds a special place in our hearts, and we’re excited to welcome everyone back. Please know that IRE takes the health and safety of all attendees, speakers, staff and all others involved at its events seriously and follows the guidelines of CDC. More information about safety guidelines will be posted closer to the event.
Your input helps ensure that we consider a broad spectrum of speakers and topics.
Here are a few ways you can use the ideas form:
Have several ideas? Great! Fill out the form as many times as you’d like. And help us spread the word by sharing this form with friends and colleagues.
Keep in mind that IRE retains editorial control over the content of its conferences. If we use your idea, our team will take care of reaching out to speakers and finalizing details. Here are some other tips to help you make the best pitch and understand our process.
Please direct questions to conference@ire.org.
Registration is open for IRE’s DBEI Symposium, which will take place Oct. 21-23 with limited in-person attendance in Baltimore, Maryland, and unlimited attendance online.
The hybrid event will be IRE’s first in-person training event since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. It also will be IRE’s first event focused solely on diversity and equity issues.
The symposium will focus on helping journalists with newsroom diversity issues and with investigating inequality in their communities, from education and labor to housing and criminal justice.
Other details, travel and hotel information, can be found here.
Sign up for our DBEI Symposium email updates list here.
See the below FAQs for more information:
How do I register?
For the in-person event: First, make sure you are logged into your IRE account and have an active membership. Go to the In-Person Attendance: DBEI Symposium ticket page and scroll to the bottom. Select the ticket tier that corresponds to your IRE membership level. (If you do not see any tickets, you are likely not logged in or have an expired IRE membership. You will need to join or renew to buy a ticket.) Once you add a ticket to your cart, you can complete the checkout process, which involves acknowledging our code of conduct and COVID-19 safety protocols.
For the virtual event: First, make sure you are logged into your IRE account and have an active membership. Go to the Virtual Attendance: DBEI Symposium ticket page and scroll to the bottom. You will see the ticket tier associated with your IRE membership level. (If you do not see any tickets, you are likely not logged in or have an expired IRE membership. You will need to join or renew to buy a ticket.) Once you add a ticket to your cart, you can complete the checkout process.
Need to join? Apply to become a member before trying to register for the symposium.
Need to check your membership status or renew? You can do that here. If your membership is current, you will see a green ‘Yes’ in the Active column. If your membership is not active, you can start the renewal process from that page.
What is the difference between the in-person and virtual event?
The in-person event will consist of two large ballrooms for panels and demos and five smaller rooms for hands-on classes, conversations, master classes, networking groups and small group discussions. In addition to the programming, there will be a keynote address and luncheon as well as a welcome reception. The keynote speaker will be announced soon!
Virtual attendees will have the opportunity to livestream the two large ballrooms as well as the keynote address. Attendees will have the ability to ask questions during the Q&A through our virtual conference platform. In addition, one of the five smaller rooms will be recorded and made available to attendees post-event. Attendees will also have the opportunity to join various networking sessions specifically for the virtual event.
Both in-person and virtual attendees will have access to all recordings, resources and tipsheets post-event.
What precautions is IRE taking due to COVID-19?
IRE is keeping the health and safety of our members at the forefront of planning the symposium. We have implemented numerous safety protocols to ensure attendee safety.
Marriott "Commitment to Clean" protocols:
What if I have questions?
All questions can be directed to logistics@ire.org
IRE recently awarded 20 fellowships to its upcoming TV Data Journalism Bootcamp thanks to the generosity of the Knight Foundation. Recipients will attend the bootcamp taking place in September.
The following journalists received fellowships:
If you are interested in applying for a fellowship for financial assistance for future IRE boot camps, sign up to receive IRE’s newsletter about fellowship opportunities.
IRE recently awarded five fellowships to its upcoming Data Journalism Bootcamp thanks to the generosity of financial supporters. Recipients will attend the bootcamp taking place in August.
Shalina Chatlani from WWNO Radio (New Orleans, Louisiana), María Angélica Castro Camacho from DW Akademie and Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (Germany) and Christina Saint Louis from the Star Tribune (Minneapolis, Minnesota) received the Ottaway Fellowship.
Established by David Ottaway and the Ottaway Family Fund, the Ottoway Fellowship is aimed at increasing the diversity of IRE’s membership.
Ali Oshinskie from WNPR (New Haven, Connecticut) received the Holly Whisenhunt Stephen Fellowship.
Established by WTHR-Indianapolis to honor Holly Whisenhunt Stephen, an award-winning journalist and longtime IRE member, who died November 2008 after a long battle with cancer.
Victoria Bouloubasis from Enlace Latino NC / Southerly (Durham, North Carolina) received the R-CAR Fellowship.
Established by IRE member Daniel Gilbert, the fellowship is intended to provide rural reporters with training they might not otherwise receive. The fellowship is offered in conjunction with the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues at the University of Kentucky.
If you are interested in applying for a fellowship for financial assistance for future IRE boot camps, sign up to receive IRE’s newsletter about fellowship opportunities.
By: Brant Houston
Jim Polk, a longtime IRE leader and member, died on July 15th in his home in Atlanta. Polk, 83, had a distinguished career as an investigative journalist in both print and broadcast, winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1974 for his coverage of Watergate.
He began his career at newspapers in his home state of Indiana and went on to do award-winning work for the Associated Press, The Washington Star, NBC News and CNN. Polk graduated from Indiana University, and in 1994 he was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame.
Polk served as an IRE board president in the organization's formative years and was a frequent speaker at IRE conferences. He was passionate about the profession and about IRE and remained an active IRE member, serving as a contest judge and often weighing in on governance issues. In 2018, he received an IRE Founders Award for his service.
In a 2015 issue of The IRE Journal, Polk wrote a "collected wisdom" column on the practice of investigative journalism, stating: "...that is the core of what we do in journalism. It was true then, and it’s true now. It hasn’t changed. It’s the same formula: 1. Ask questions. 2. Find answers. 3. Tell the public. Yes, our delivery systems for telling the news have evolved. But our methods in pursuit of truth are simple and eternal."
There will be a private burial in Polk's hometown of Oaktown, Indiana. Condolences may be left at the funeral home website at https://www.fredrickandson.com/obituary/James-Polk . In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Indiana University, at https://www.myiu.org/.
Three incumbents and three newcomers were elected to two-year terms for the IRE Board of Directors in election results announced Saturday. IRE members also elected two members of the Contest Committee, which judges the IRE Awards.
Here are vote totals for the six candidates elected to the Board of Directors:
Here are results for the remaining candidates:
For a one-year term on the IRE Contest Committee, Shannon Isbell and Angeliki Kastanis secured seats. Here are voting results:
Online voting began the week of May 17 and ended Saturday. The six journalists elected Saturday to the IRE Board of Directors joined seven incumbents, whose terms expire next year.
The newly constituted board met Tuesday to elect officers to serve for one year on the Executive Committee. Those officers are:
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