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Registration is open for IRE’s virtual 2021 national conference, which will feature more than 120 live panels, demos, and networking sessions; data skill labs and fun ways to connect with your fellow journalists.
Register by May 24 to secure the early-bird rate of $150 for professionals. After that date, registration rises to $200. Students may register at any time for $50. IRE membership is required through June to attend.
The conference is June 14-18 and will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Eastern U.S. time to allow for participation across the United States and around the world. Just as we’ve done at in-person conferences in the past, the IRE conference will feature multiple tracks, with several options during each time slot.
Training sessions will be recorded and available for attendees on demand for up to one year on the conference platform, along with session tipsheets and materials. The conference will also include fun social events, such as happy hours, networking and a celebration of the 2020 IRE Award winners.
Nearly 3,000 journalists, educators and students attended the first-ever virtual IRE Conference in September 2020. Members joined from more than 30 countries.
Below is more information about expected sessions, fellowships and other frequently asked questions. More details will be announced in the coming weeks, including the keynote speaker, featured speakers and full schedule.
Expected sessions
In addition to training on investigative skills such as sourcing, interviewing and gathering public records, IRE21 will offer training sessions on timely topics such as covering COVID-19, investigating law enforcement and inclusion and equity in newsrooms and news coverage.
In addition to panels, the schedule also will include several special types of sessions:
View a list of expected sessions here. A full schedule with more sessions, descriptions and speakers will be released in the coming weeks.
Access all sessions and materials for one year
Attendees will gain full access to the conference site for one year so that they can take full advantage of the high-caliber training. Session videos, tipsheets, slide decks and other materials may be accessed on demand during that period.
Fellowships
We will offer about 200 fellowships, a record number for an IRE conference. Fellowships cover the cost of registration and a one-year IRE membership. Applications are due April 19. View information and apply here.
Volunteer
If you’d like to volunteer to help with the conference, please fill out this form. We have limited opportunities available to speak on panels, lead networking sessions, or host a fun event. Note that we cannot accommodate everyone who volunteers, and the window for session pitches has closed.
How can I keep up with new developments connected to #IRE21?
Please sign up here to receive email updates about #IRE21. It’s the best way to stay up-to-date on the latest virtual conference news.
Other FAQs
For other information, please see our initial announcement and FAQs about the virtual IRE21 conference.
IRE is partnering with the Media Mentors program at JournalismMentors.com to provide mentorship and guidance to journalists looking to build skills in data and watchdog reporting.
Media Mentors is a mentoring program from journalism-internships.com, a website dedicated to fostering the next generation of media leaders. Mentors listed on the website have volunteered to offer half-hour, one-on-one sessions for advice, guidance or general questions about navigating the media industry. The website is run by Adriana Lacy, who works at Axios, and Caitlin Ostroff, who works at The Wall Street Journal.
Mentors on the Investigative page of the JournalismMentors.com website will be IRE members who have volunteered to help others with skills such as data journalism, requesting public records, approaching an accountability interview and other watchdog reporting skills. Those seeking mentorship are not required to be IRE members, and mentorship sessions are free to all.
“The ease of navigating the journalism industry and getting into investigative reporting shouldn’t be determined by where someone lives or where that person studied,” said Caitlin Ostroff, a co-founder of Media Mentors. “Adriana and I benefited immensely from the advice of veteran journalists as we started our careers and are thrilled to work with IRE to reach more mentees and mentors.”
IRE encourages members who have previously mentored others to volunteer through JournalismMentors.com.
Previously, mentorship was available only at IRE’s two annual conferences. This program makes mentorship more widely available throughout the year and to those who cannot travel to conferences.
"We’re thrilled to offer a more robust investigative mentoring program for IRE members and the broader journalism community," said Kat Stafford, an IRE board member and Membership Services Committee chair. "Mentorship is at the heart of IRE's mission, and we’re grateful this new partnership will help us build the next generation of diverse investigative journalists and representative newsrooms.”
Through the website, mentors set up office hours when they are available, and mentees can choose a time to set up a chat through an automated system. In addition to the IRE partnership, Media Mentors also offers mentorship in other topics such as editing, marketing, design/photo and audience engagement. See the frequently asked questions page on JournalismMentors.com for more information.
The IRE Board is thrilled to announce that Diana R. Fuentes will serve as the next executive director of the 6,000-member organization. She is the first person of color to serve in that role.
Fuentes, a Texas native, has served as the Deputy Metro Editor of the San Antonio Express-News since 2015. She has extensive senior management and masthead-level experience running newsrooms throughout Texas, and has served on numerous boards, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors (now the News Leaders Association). She is past president, treasurer and secretary of the Texas APME and the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. She is a lifetime member, and former secretary and financial officer of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.
“Diana’s management skills—and her management style—combined with her three decades as a journalist and her deep appreciation and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, make her a good fit for IRE,” said IRE Board President Cheryl W. Thompson. “I have no doubt that she will do an amazing job.”
Fuentes brings a solid vision to IRE, which includes initiatives to support investigative journalists at smaller newspapers, broadcast outlets and online news sites. She also hopes to expand the organization’s program that provides investigative training at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions; and build on the partnerships with culturally diverse journalism organizations. And she’d like to launch a high-school program that would strengthen the pipeline for future investigative journalists.
“These are challenging times, but also a time of opportunity,” Fuentes said. “IRE is the acknowledged leader in training journalists to produce high-quality content, putting us in a prime position to expand the pool of diverse candidates and help newsrooms large and small reflect the communities they serve.”
Fuentes was chosen after a six-person search committee screened dozens of candidates. She impressed them with her practical experience in every critical element the committee cited as being important for the position. The board and staff also found her to be no-nonsense but affable.
“I’m enthusiastic about working with a passionate, open-minded board and a hard-working staff, dedicated members and visionary supporters who fund our work,” Fuentes said. “There’s much to be done, and we are going to do it together."
Former IRE board member Ziva Branstetter and IRE Vice President Mark J. Rochester co-chaired the committee. They were joined by Austin American-Statesman Editor Manny Garcia; University of Missouri Associate Professor Mark Horvit; Cindy Galli, director of investigative projects for ABC News and a current IRE board member; and Thompson, senior editor of station investigations for NPR.
Fuentes succeeds Doug Haddix, who left in January after nearly five years in the position. Fuentes will start the position on April 26.
IRE is accepting applications for candidates for the IRE Board of Directors and for judges for the IRE Awards. This year, six of the board’s 13 seats are up for election. Two Contest Committee members, who judge the IRE Awards, also will be elected. Board seats are two-year terms while contest committee seats are one-year terms. The initial filing period ends Friday, May 7.
All candidates who file by May 7 will appear on the initial ballot when voting begins in mid-May. Information and video statements from each candidate will be posted online.
You also can declare candidacy for IRE’s Contest Committee, which judges the IRE Awards. Those interested in judging will apply using the same procedure as IRE Board candidates, and two judges will be selected on the same ballot.
Interested candidates may attend an onboarding webinar in late April to better understand the responsibilities of a board member, the dos and don'ts of being a board member, and have an opportunity to participate in a Q&A. The live webinar will feature current and past board members. Details coming soon.
As in the past, candidates may join the election after the initial filing period. However, voting already will have begun, which could diminish a late-filing candidate’s chances of being elected. To be considered, a late-filing candidate must be nominated by 5 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, June 18.
For more details, including how to declare candidacy, please review our 2021 Board Election webpage.
Investigations that revealed corruption leading to poor quality of a state’s nursing homes, peeled back the curtain on the dark side of banking worldwide, and exposed a broken system where law enforcement agencies fail to track criminal officers are among the winners of the 2020 Investigative Reporters and Editors Awards.
“This year’s award winners showed how powerful people and institutions have harmed our most vulnerable populations from nursing home residents in Indiana to palm oil workers in Southeast Asia," said Jennifer LaFleur, an IRE board member and chair of the IRE Awards contest committee. ”All the while, the journalists were dealing with working during a pandemic and economic hardships. Though told across many different platforms, these stories were not only deeply investigated pieces, but beautifully told. Judging IRE’s award entries was the most inspiring thing I have done in the last year.”
This year’s winners were selected from more than 400 entries. The awards, given since 1979, recognize the most outstanding watchdog journalism of the year. The contest covers 17 categories across media platforms and a range of market sizes.
Note: You must be logged in with your IRE membership to access stories through the resource center
IRE MEDAL: “Careless,” The Indianapolis Star, Tony Cook, Emily Hopkins, Tim Evans (PRINT/ONLINE DIVISION 3)
IRE MEDAL: “American Rehab,” for Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Shoshana Walter, Laura Starecheski, Ike Sriskandarajah, Brett Myers, Jim Briggs, Fernando Arruda, Kevin Sullivan, Al Letson, Amy Julia Harris, Katharine Mieszkowski, Najib Aminy, Amy Mostafa, Rosemarie Ho, Matt Thompson, Esther Kaplan, Andy Donohue, Amanda Pike, Narda Zacchino, Gabe Hongsdusit, Sarah Mirk, Claire Mullen, Hannah Young, Byard Duncan, David Rodriguez, Eren K. Wilson (AUDIO - LARGE)
FOI Award: “The Disappeared” and “An Adolescence, Seized,” Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Aura Bogado, Melissa Lewis, Victoria Baranetsky, Rachel Brooke, Jenny Casas, Wilson Sayre, Najib Aminy, Brett Simpson, Najib Aminy, Amy Mostafa, Andrew Donohue, Esther Kaplan, Mitchell Landsberg, Soo Oh, Nikki Frick, Al Letson, Matt Thompson, Kevin Sullivan, John Barth, Jim Briggs and Fernando Arruda
Tom Renner Award: “FinCEN Files,” BuzzFeed News, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 media partners around the world
Print/Online (written word) Division I: “Fruits of Labor,” The Associated Press, Margie Mason and Robin McDowell
Print/Online (written word) Division II: “Deceit, Disrepair and Death Inside a Southern California Rental Empire,” KPCC/LAist, Aaron Mendelson
Print/Online (written word) Division III (MEDAL WINNER): “Careless,” The Indianapolis Star, Tony Cook, Emily Hopkins, Tim Evans
Print/Online (written word) Division IV: “Land-Grab Universities: Expropriated Indigenous Land is the Foundation of the Land-Grant University System,” High Country News, Robert Lee, Tristan Ahtone, Margaret Pearce, Kalen Goodluck, Geoff McGhee, Cody Leff, Katherine Lanpher and Taryn Salinas
Video Division I: “America's Medical Supply Crisis,” FRONTLINE, Associated Press, Global Reporting Centre, Peter Klein (GRC), Christine Brandt (GRC), Juliet Linderman (AP), Martha Mendoza (AP), Kate McCormick, Frank Koughan, Alison Fitzgerald Kodjak (AP), Ron Nixon (AP), Sally Buzbee (AP), Andrew Metz (FRONTLINE), Raney Aronson-Rath (FRONTLINE)
Video Division II: “Full Disclosure,” ABC15 Arizona, Dave Biscobing, Gerard Watson, Lauren Wilson, Shawn Martin and Mark Casey
Video Division III: “Cell Blocked,” WVUE-TV, Lee Zurik, Cody Lillich, Jon Turnipseed, Mike Schaefer, Kristen Palestina
Video Division IV: “Fixing a Flaw for Veterans Lost on the Line,” WGME CBS 13, Jon Chrisos, Jack Amrock and Caulin Morrison
Audio Large (MEDAL WINNER): “American Rehab,” for Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, Shoshana Walter, Laura Starecheski, Ike Sriskandarajah, Brett Myers, Jim Briggs, Fernando Arruda, Kevin Sullivan, Al Letson, Amy Julia Harris, Katharine Mieszkowski, Najib Aminy, Amy Mostafa, Rosemarie Ho, Matt Thompson, Esther Kaplan, Andy Donohue, Amanda Pike, Narda Zacchino, Gabe Hongsdusit, Sarah Mirk, Claire Mullen, Hannah Young, Byard Duncan, David Rodriguez, Eren K. Wilson
Audio small: “Everytown: The Hamptons,”WSHU Public Radio, Charles Lane, Ann Lopez and Max Wasserman
Student Large: “Homeland Secrets,” Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, José-Ignacio Castañeda Perez, Alexandra Edelmann, Joel Farias Godinez, Derek Hall, Nicole Ludden, Maia Ordoñez, Devan Sauer, Mackenzie Shuman, Mike Barnitz and Troy Tauscher
Student Small: “When Colleges Fail On Mental Health,” CUNY Newmark School of Journalism: NY City News Service, Abigail Napp and Harsha Nahata
IRE Award for Sports Investigations: “Sexual misconduct at LSU,” USA TODAY, Kenny Jacoby, Nancy Armour and Jessica Luther
Investigations Triggered by Breaking News: “The Death of George Floyd,” Star Tribune, Libor Jany, Andy Mannix, Jennifer Bjorhus, Jeff Hargarten and Liz Sawyer
Book: “Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic,” by Eric Eyre
Click here for a complete list of winners, finalists, judges and judges’ comments.
Do you know an investigative journalist who has exhibited extraordinary courage in standing up against intimidation or efforts to suppress the truth about matters of public importance?
Perhaps someone who has faced extreme threats for his/her investigative reporting? Someone who has been targeted by authorities for harassment for doing his/her job? Someone who has faced other kinds of intimidation?
Please take a moment to nominate that person for this year’s Don Bolles Medal by April 19.
The IRE Board created the honor in 2017 as a way to draw public attention to the difficult circumstances under which some of our colleagues are forced to operate.
In 2017, the first Don Bolles Medal was bestowed posthumously to Mexican journalist Miroslava Breach Velducea, who was assassinated in retaliation for her efforts to expose organized crime and corruption.
Last year, it was awarded to four journalists: Chris Ingalls, Jeremy Jojola, A.C. Thompson and Leonard Pitts Jr., who were targeted by extremist groups in retaliation for their reporting.
The medal was created in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the Arizona Project, an effort led by IRE to finish the work of Don Bolles, an Arizona Republic investigative reporter who was killed in 1976 by a car bomb.
Bolles’ death came a few days before the first national IRE conference in Indianapolis, where the veteran reporter had been scheduled to speak on a panel. At the time, Bolles had been investigating allegations of land fraud involving prominent politicians and individuals with ties to organized crime.
After his murder, nearly 40 journalists from across the country descended on Arizona to complete his investigation. News organizations across the country published their findings. Their message: Even if you kill a reporter, you can’t kill the story.
The 2021 IRE Conference will again be a virtual event, bringing together members for five days of training, conversations and networking online June 14-18.
The #IRE21 conference had been scheduled for mid-June in Indianapolis.
“We decided to move this year’s conference online again because the safety of our members matters most,” said Cheryl W. Thompson, IRE’s board president. “We will miss seeing everyone in person.”
Most sessions will take place from noon to 4 p.m. Eastern U.S. Time, to allow for participation across the United States and around the world. Training sessions will be recorded and available for attendees on demand for up to one year on the conference platform. The event will also include fun social events, such as happy hours, networking and a celebration of the 2020 IRE Award winners.
IRE is seeking ideas for conference sessions through March 22. Please fill out this form to suggest ideas for speakers, topics, and fun social sessions.
Nearly 3,000 journalists, educators and students attended the first-ever virtual IRE Conference in September 2020, taking part in more than 200 sessions. Members joined from more than 30 countries.
“The IRE20 Conference was such an energizing event during a very trying year for journalists,” said Denise Malan, IRE interim executive director. “We’re excited to bring our community together online again this year, and we can’t wait to see everyone in person and celebrate together when it’s safe to do so.”
The online format also allowed IRE to lower the cost of registration. Registration rates are about half of the usual in-person rates for IRE conferences, and IRE will be offering about 200 fellowships that include free registration and membership.
“IRE board and staff members recognize that journalists have limited resources now more than ever,” Malan said. “We want to help ensure our training remains accessible through lower costs and more fellowship opportunities.”
What will registration cost for the virtual IRE21 conference?
Registration rates are:
Attendees must be members of current members of IRE through June ($70/professional, $25/students).
When will registration open?
We expect to open registration in mid-April.
Will you have fellowships available?
Yes! We will offer about 200 fellowships, a record number for an IRE conference. Fellowships cover the cost of registration and a one-year IRE membership. Sign up to receive fellowship notices or watch IRE’s social media channels for application information.
How do I give input on conference sessions?
We want to hear all of your ideas for the conference, including speakers you’d like to learn from, topics you want to delve into, and any fun ideas for social and networking in the virtual space. We’d also like to hear your ideas on the virtual format, and things that you liked (or didn’t like) from our last online conference to help us build an even better event.
Please fill out this form with your input by March 22. No idea is too big or too small!
I’ve never been to a virtual conference. How will it work?
You’ll receive a secure link that will allow you (and only you!) to sign into the online conference. Once inside the virtual conference, you may browse the schedule, build your own personalized schedule, request one-on-one meetings with other attendees and much more. We will offer several options during any given time slot. The majority of sessions will feature video presentations with several speakers — typically using slides and tipsheets, similar to in-person events. You’ll be able to ask questions and interact with panelists in real time. We’ll also feature interactive social gatherings online.
Will I need special equipment or software to participate?
No. All you’ll need is Internet access and a computer, laptop or tablet — much as you need to participate in an online video meeting. To attend a virtual meeting on the Pathable platform, we strongly recommend using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers and downloading the Zoom app.
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 will be recorded and available to attendees for up to one year. You can view them at your convenience. Most sessions will include video plus any related tipsheets, slide decks and chat transcripts.
Will #IRE21 be useful to international journalists?
Absolutely. We encourage international journalists, educators and students to join us online for #IRE21. An affordable registration rate — plus no need to spend money on travel, lodging and meals — opens up opportunities for far more journalists around the world to join IRE for learning, inspiration and collaboration. We’ll also provide ways for international journalists to connect with one another during the conference and have some fellowships for international journalists.
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 #IRE21 conference?
The virtual platform offers many exciting opportunities for sponsors, including virtual trade show booths. If you’d like information on the benefits of sponsoring #IRE21, please contact Chris Vachon, IRE director of partnerships, by email: chris@ire.org.
How can I keep up with new developments connected to #IRE21?
Please sign up here to receive e-mail updates about #IRE21. It’s the best way to stay up-to-date on the latest virtual conference news.
What if I have other questions?
Please contact info@ire.org.
Welcome to the virtual #NICAR21 conference! If you’ve already registered, here’s what you need to know to access the conference.
(If you still need to register, you can do that online and then follow these instructions. You will receive an email to access the conference platform within one business day of registration. During conference week, we will work to give access as soon as possible after registration.)
The NICAR21 virtual conference is online at nicar21.org. We highly recommend you bookmark this URL for easy access, especially since you can access it for a full year!
If you’ve already registered, you should have received an email link with access to Pathable, our virtual conference platform. Using the link from that email, you’ll be asked to set a password. You will need this email and password to access Pathable during and after the conference.
Can’t find the email? Search your inbox and Spam folder for “Pathable.” If you still can’t find it, email logistics@ire.org.
The Pathable agenda will automatically reflect your time zone.
To add live sessions to your agenda, start on the main Agenda page (go to Schedule > Agenda). When you find a session you want to add to your schedule, click on the green plus sign located in the upper right-hand corner of each session.
Anything you add will show up on your My Agenda page (go to Schedule > My Agenda). You can also export your schedule to your personal calendar by using the Export Calendar feature located in My Agenda.
The conference features seven virtual data labs where you can learn spreadsheets, SQL, data wrangling, data viz, Python, R and web scraping -- with no sign-ups or extra fee required. The classes are all on demand and will be available for a year after the conference so you can work at your own pace and come back for refreshers.
Access the labs under Schedule > Virtual hands-on labs.
To compliment the virtual labs, we are offering live office hours where you can meet with an experience data journalist to help with a particular skill or project. Sign up here to be matched with an expert.
Note: You must sign up by Monday, Feb. 22 for one-on-one office hours. If you don’t sign up, you can come to open office hours found on the Agenda.
Most of the live sessions are being recorded and will be available in Pathable for one year after the conference. Every session description notes whether the session will be recorded.
As a general rule: panels and conversations will be recorded; networking and happy hour sessions will not.
Recorded sessions will be available for viewing a few hours after the session concludes. In addition, any tipsheets from the session will be available in the Files tab for each session.
Most panels (webinar-style meetings) will have the Zoom room embedded inside the Pathable page. This allows you to view the session even if your device or organization limits Zoom access. When you’re in the Pathable room, you’ll see the video on the left and the chat box on the right.
When you “Join a live meeting,” you may experience a brief delay and see a gray/black box as the embedded video loads.
If the embedded format shown above isn’t working, you also have the option to “use the Zoom app instead.” This will open a new Zoom window. (Find it directly under the video window in Pathable.)
It depends! There are two types of Zoom rooms, each noted at the bottom of that session’s description.
Finally, a note: If your organization or device limits Zoom access, you may not be able to unmute or go on video. But you should still be able to view the content and use the chat in Pathable.
Yes, you can enter and leave any live session (as long as it is not at capacity).
If you are having technical difficulties, make sure you are using Google Chrome. This will take care of some common problems, like a slow-loading browser or audio issues. But if you still need help, reach out one of the following ways:
IRE is bringing our popular Master Classes online this year, making them available to all IRE members.
Master Classes are half-day, deep-dive workshops into investigative reporting skills and are usually offered at our two annual conferences. In response to huge demand at the virtual IRE Conference last September, IRE is making some of its most popular Master Classes more widely available.
The first Online Master Class will be Feb. 19 focusing on digital investigations and taught by Jane Lytvynenko and Craig Silverman of BuzzFeed News. The second, on March 17, will help you become a public records sleuth, led by David Cuillier of University of Arizona and Grace Cheng of Thomson Reuters.
Cost
The Online Master Classes cost $35 each, and an IRE membership is required to register. Nonmembers may check requirements and apply for membership here.
Registration
View more information and register for the classes here.
The New York Times’ groundbreaking coronavirus tracking project took first place in the 2020 Philip Meyer Journalism Awards. Other top awards go to investigations that uncovered how deeply race and income determine causes of death in Massachusetts and how qualified immunity impacts excessive force cases against police.
“In this difficult year, journalists and news organizations stepped up to fill the void of important information for the public,” said Sarah Cohen, a contest judge and the Knight Chair in Data Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. “In the tradition of Philip Meyer, they created data and analyzed information using social science methods to help the public understand the pandemic, racial justice and other key issues.”
The 2020 winners are:
First place: Tracking the Coronavirus, The New York Times
By Staff at The New York Times
Judges’ comments: “The New York Times' coronavirus project is a massive data collection undertaking, but it also is much more than that. The Times took on vetting and building out a strict methodology to ensure that data on COVID cases at the county-level, at nursing homes, at universities and in prisons could be used reliably. But The Times also published groundbreaking journalism rooted in social science methods that helped shed light on disparities in the impact from COVID-19. This work truly is a public service for researchers, for public policy efforts, and most importantly, for readers.”
Second place: Last Words, The Boston Globe
By Mark Arsenault, Liz Kowalczyk, Todd Wallack, Rebecca Ostriker, Robert Weisman, Saurabh Datar and Spotlight editor Patricia Wen.
Judges’ comments: “Painstakingly gathering more than 1.2 million death certificates and surveying thousands of families, The Boston Globe showed how deeply race and income determine how and why Massachusetts residents die and how those factors affect the quality and length of life and access to care. The Globe carefully analyzed the death certificate data with methods such as linear and multiple regression and geocoded the residential addresses of the deceased and matched it with Census data to determine income. Along with the data and survey work, the Globe did numerous interviews with epidemiologists, medical experts and family members to produce compassionate and informed stories. Impressively, the Globe team reacted quickly to the pandemic by including investigations into nursing home deaths from Covid-19 and revealing possible discrimination against the poor who apply to nursing homes. The series is a riveting example of how data analysis and social science methods leads to stellar public service journalism.”
Third place: “Shielded,” Reuters
By Andrew Chung, Lawrence Hurley, Jackie Botts, Andrea Januta, Guillermo Gomez, and Jaimi Dowdell
Additional reporting by Charlie Szymanski, Lena Masri, and Kanupriya Kapoor
Judges comments: “The Reuters' team reviewed thousands of lawsuits and appellate cases of qualified immunity to show a spike in cases since the Supreme Court's ruling in 2009, and that courts were more willing to take cases defending police officers than plaintiffs who accused officers of excessive force. Using their unique relationship with Westlaw, Reuters showed a plaintiff's likelihood of overcoming qualified immunity depended heavily on where the case was heard. The project used logistic regression and other social science methods, and was published weeks before George Floyd was killed and the Black Lives Matter movement shone a spotlight on the difficulty of prosecuting such cases.”
Honorable mention: “What Do We Really Know About the Politics of People Behind Bars?” The Marshall Project and Slate
By Staff at The Marshall Project and Slate
Judges’ comments: “The Marshall Project and Slate focused their social science efforts on a population never polled before: the incarcerated. The project was remarkable not only in its mission -- to survey the political leanings of those currently imprisoned -- but also in its reach, gathering more than 8,000 submissions from across the country during one of the most historic elections in U.S. history. As states begin restoring the voting rights of formerly incarcerated people, this project may very well be the first glimpse into the future of our nation's electorate.”
The Meyer Award recognizes the best uses of empirical methods in journalism. The winners will be honored during the 2021 NICAR Conference. The first-place winner will receive $500; second- and third-place winners will receive $300 and $200, respectively. The award is administered by the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, a joint program of Investigative Reporters and Editors and the Missouri School of Journalism.
The Meyer Award honors Philip Meyer, professor emeritus and former Knight Chair of journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Meyer is the author of “Precision Journalism,” the seminal 1973 book that encouraged journalists to incorporate social science methods in the pursuit of better journalism. As a reporter, he also pioneered the use of survey research for Knight-Ridder newspapers while exploring the causes of race riots in the 1960s.
The judges for the Philip Meyer Award for Precision Journalism were:
The Philip Meyer Journalism Award follows the rules of the IRE Awards in its efforts to avoid conflicts of interest. Work that included any significant role by a Meyer Award contest judge may not be entered in the contest. This often represents a significant sacrifice on the part of the individual — and sometimes an entire newsroom. The IRE membership appreciates this devotion to the values of the organization.
IRE works to foster excellence in investigative journalism, which is essential to a free society. Founded in 1975, IRE has more than 5,500 members worldwide. Headquartered at the Missouri School of Journalism, IRE provides training, resources and a community of support to investigative journalists; promotes high professional standards; and protects the rights of investigative journalists. The National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting was founded by the Missouri School of Journalism in 1989 and became a collaboration between the school and IRE in 1994.
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