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Kate Howard, IRE Board Secretary
If you’ve attended an IRE conference before, you know how life-changing the training can be. IRE events are valuable not only because they teach us new investigative skills, but also because they build a community of support within our ever-changing and challenging industry.
The IRE Board of Directors wants to help even more journalists experience our training, which is why we’re hosting a fundraising challenge to raise money for AccessFest24 fellowships!
These fellowships will allow journalists to attend IRE’s upcoming fall conference at no cost. They are intended for journalists who would otherwise not be able to attend the conference due to financial constraints.
The best part? The Board is making sure your donation will go twice as far! We’ll match the first $1,000 that comes in earmarked for AccessFest fellowships. That means for every $100 you donate, we are sending two journalists to virtual training next month for free!
We hear it from our members all the time, from early-career journalists to the most seasoned investigators: IRE helps journalists feel empowered, inspired and excited to do great work in their newsrooms. The Board hopes AccessFest24 will help even more journalists get the training they need, especially those going through tough times.
To donate, please fill out this online form and enter "AccessFest24 Fellowships" when asked for the type of IRE fund. Whether you can kick in ten bucks or cover a whole fellowship for $100 – Your donation of any amount will get us closer to our goal. Thank you!
About AccessFest:
The AccessFest conference is virtual by design, created with the goal of expanding IRE training to journalists around the world in a more accessible and affordable format. Since 2021, AccessFest (previously branded as our DBEI Symposium), has offered training sessions on belonging, equity and inclusion – both within the newsroom and in news coverage. The conference also features IRE’s signature investigative and data classes.
(Sept. 23, 2024) — The IRE Radio Podcast has released two new episodes exploring recent developments since Investigative Reporters & Editors awarded its annual Don Bolles Medal and Golden Padlock Award at the 2024 IRE Conference.
Listen to the podcast episodes here:
You can find the podcast on Soundcloud, Spotify for Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and other streaming platforms. Read on for more information about each of the new episodes and additional resources and links to topics discussed.
On this episode, host Nakylah Carter chats with the 2024 Don Bolles Medal winner Eric Meyer, publisher of The Marion County Record.
The Don Bolles Medal acknowledges investigative journalists who have “exhibited extraordinary courage in standing up against intimidation or efforts to suppress the truth about matters of public importance.”
Victim to a police raid in August 2023, the newsroom of the Marion County Record received the 2024 Don Bolles Medal for refusing to be silenced. Just a mile down the road in the small Kansas town, the home of Meyer and his 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer, was raided at the same time as the newsroom. His mother died the day after the raid.
Meyer and Carter unpack what happened with the raid, the importance of support from fellow journalists, and how he and his newsroom persevered.
On this episode of the IRE Radio Podcast, host Nakylah Carter discovers how the Georgia Department of Corrections came to win the 2024 Golden Padlock Award for frequently and deliberately withholding public information.
Guest Lois Norder, senior editor for investigations at The Atlanta Journal Constitution, explains her colleagues’ struggle to cover the government agency despite heavily redacted incident reports, suppressed news of worker arrests linked to contraband, undisclosed prisoner escapes, withheld video footage and more!
Production credit: Graduate editorial assistant Nakylah Carter reported and hosted the episodes. IRE editorial director Doug Meigs edits the podcast. We are recorded in the studios of KBIA at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Music credit: Thoughtfulness (De Wolfe Music)
IRE is looking for a passionate, high-energy individual who enjoys working with others to join our training team, dedicated to fulfilling our core mission of helping journalists improve their investigative and data skills.
Trainers organize and conduct both in-person and online training in programs such as data journalism bootcamps, online mini bootcamps, customized newsroom training, and regional workshops. The trainer will also help plan and execute our in-person and virtual national conferences and develop clear and useful training materials in investigative and data journalism. The trainer also has the opportunity to create new curricula to meet changing industry needs.
IRE seeks someone with:
IRE offers:
Location: Remote, with convenient access to an airport
Salary Range: $68,000-$74,000, depending on experience
Apply by August 23, 2024, here.
Benefit Eligibility
This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits.
Values Commitment
We value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person’s success. Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research and engagement. This commitment makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate. In your application materials, please discuss your experiences and expertise that support these values and enrich our missions of teaching, research, and engagement.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The University of Missouri System is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy applies to all employment decisions including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, promotions, pay practices, benefits, disciplinary actions and terminations. For more information, visit https://www.umsystem.edu/ums/hr/eeo or call the Director of Employee and Labor Relations at 573-882-2146.
To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.
If you have questions, please contact IRE Director of Content Lauren Grandestaff by email (lauren@ire.org).
Investigative Reporters and Editors is honored to announce that Tristan Ahtone will give the keynote address for AccessFest24, the organization's fourth virtual-by-design conference Oct. 17-19.
Ahtone serves as Editor at Large at Grist, a nonprofit, independent media organization focused on climate solutions and environmental injustice. He will join in conversation with ProPublica reporter and IRE Board member Mary Hudetz.
Ahtone is an award-winning reporter, who previously served as Editor in Chief at the Texas Observer and Indigenous Affairs Editor at High Country News. He is a member of the Kiowa Tribe, most recently recognized by Covering Climate Now for his leadership on Grist’s “Misplaced Trust” investigation.
Hudetz is an award-winning reporter at ProPublica, based in Albuquerque. She is an enrolled member of the Apsaalooke/Crow Tribe and focuses on investigating tribal issues throughout the Southwest. This year, Hudetz was honored with the Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism for her work on ProPublica’s “The Repatriation Project.” She was elected to the IRE Board of Directors in June.
“Their experiences and expertise will foster an important conversation at AccessFest24”, IRE Director of Diversity & Inclusion Francisco Vara-Orta said. Both Ahtone and Hudetz are also former presidents of the Indigenous Journalists Association.
“Both of them have been leaders in our journalism community,” Vara-Orta said. “For IRE members to hear from them is really crucial for us to continue to better report on historically marginalized communities — especially in the weeks leading up to an election, amid polarization and disinformation about communities that have not normally had a voice in mainstream media.”
The conference is centered around belonging, equity, and inclusion both in news coverage and within the newsroom. While the IRE and NICAR Conferences have some sessions on these topics, AccessFest allows journalists to dive deeper. The conference started out as the “DBEI Symposium” in 2021 and was rebranded as AccessFest last year.
The previous conferences have highlighted Black, Asian and Latino voices in the keynote conversation, including Anzio Williams of NBCUniversal, Sisi Wei of The Markup and Maria Hinojosa of Futuro Media.
“On the path to greater representation, we must center Indigenous voices,” Vara-Orta said. “It's critical that IRE includes as many voices and perspectives as possible.”
Another AccessFest highlight is the opportunity for attendees to get IRE’s more traditional investigative and data training — from anywhere in the world — at a fraction of the cost of the in-person conferences.
AccessFest24 will be held online Oct. 17-19. Get additional details and register for the conference here.
Have you always wanted to know more about how IRE works — and how you can help? Now is your chance.
IRE is seeking volunteers for its committees, which work on a wide range of important tasks, from recommending speakers for conferences and brainstorming ways to better serve members to increasing diversity in the organization and improving the website.
To serve, you just need to be a member of IRE and have a passion for helping your colleagues.
If you're interested, please fill out this Google form by Friday, July 19.
The IRE Board is making it a priority to bring in new voices and new perspectives. One of the best ways to ensure your voice is heard is to serve on a committee, where the decision-making process begins. We need you!
Committee descriptions are below. Typically, the President appoints the committee chair, and the chair works with the president to select the committee members, with input from the executive director. Appointees serve for one year.
If you'd like more information, we'll be hosting an informal Q&A at our monthly Board Office Hours on Tuesday, July 16, at 12 p.m. Eastern Time. It's free; you just need to register here in advance to join the Q&A webinar.
If you have questions, please contact IRE President Brian M. Rosenthal at president@ire.org
IRE Committees for 2024-25
IRE Task Forces for 2024-25
In addition to the nine standing committees, there will be three active task forces. These groups are temporary and exist for specific purposes:
The 13-member IRE Board of Directors elected officers for the 2024-25 term at a meeting June 27.
Brian M. Rosenthal, investigative reporter at The New York Times, was reelected president.
Josh Hinkle, director of investigations and innovation at KXAN in Austin, Texas, was reelected vice president.
Mark Greenblatt, executive editor of the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, was reelected treasurer.
The new secretary is Kate Howard, editorial director at Reveal and Mother Jones. She succeeded Darla Cameron of the Texas Tribune, who did not seek reelection.
The new at-large officer is Ana Ley, a reporter at The New York Times. She follows Lam Thuy Vo, a reporter at The Markup and associate data journalism professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York. Vo did not seek reelection.
Officers serve one-year terms. All board members serve two-year terms; six are elected one year and seven the next year. Seven seats were up for election this year.
Greenblatt and Howard were reelected to the board at this year’s elections and are beginning their second two-year terms.
Rosenthal, Hinkle and Ley are in the second year of two-year terms.
Five new board members were elected this year: Alejandra Cancino, investigative reporter based in Chicago; Mary Hudetz, ProPublica reporter based in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Andrew Lehren, director of investigative reporting at City University of New York's Graduate School of Journalism; Paroma Soni, data and graphics reporter at POLITICO; and Marina Villeneuve, legal reporter at Salon.
Executive Director Diana R. Fuentes announced the results of the 2024 elections at IRE24 in Anaheim, California, on June 22.
In addition to Cameron and Vo, three others ended their terms in June: Rick Gevers, longtime IRE member and broadcast journalism industry veteran; Aaron Kessler, data and investigative journalist with The Associated Press; and Mark Walker, investigative reporter at The New York Times. They did not seek reelection.
All five along with former board member Simone Weichselbaum, national investigative reporter at NBCUniversal, who resigned for medical reasons last year, were recognized at the IRE24 Awards Luncheon on June 23 for their service.
In the 2024 elections, IRE members elected seven journalists to the Board of Directors. Members present at the IRE24 membership meeting held Saturday, June 22, also approved six amendments to the IRE Articles of Incorporation on voice votes.
Two incumbents — Kate Howard of Reveal and Mark Greenblatt of Arizona State University — along with five newcomers — Alejandra Cancino of Injustice Watch; Mary Hudetz of ProPublica; Andrew Lehren of The City University of New York; Marina Villeneuve of Salon; Paroma Soni of Politico — were elected to two-year terms for the IRE Board of Directors in election results announced Saturday, June 22, 2024. IRE members also elected two members of the Contest Committee, which judges the IRE Awards. Voting was conducted in person and virtually.
The board will meet to elect new officers.
New members of the Contest Committee are Daniel Connolly of Law360 and independent journalist Mark Lagerkvist.
Full election results for the Board of Directors:
| Rank | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kate Howard | 636 | 59.22% |
| 2 | Alejandra Cancino | 633 | 58.94% |
| 3 | Mary Hudetz | 585 | 54.47% |
| 4 | Mark Greenblatt | 562 | 52.33% |
| 5 | Andy Lehren | 550 | 51.21% |
| 6 | Marina Villeneuve | 501 | 46.65% |
| 7 | Paroma Soni | 482 | 44.88% |
| 8 | Andy Pierrotti | 439 | 40.88% |
| 9 | Gary Harki | 370 | 34.45% |
| 10 | Micah Luxen | 272 | 25.33% |
Full election results for the Contest Committee:
| Rank | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Lagerkvist | 879 | 87.90% |
| 2 | Daniel Connolly | 833 | 83.30% |
As part of the membership meeting at IRE24, there was also a voice vote on each of six proposed amendments to the IRE Articles of Incorporation. The full text of each amendment is included below the voting results:
| Rank | Pass/Fail |
|---|---|
| Amendment #1 | Pass |
| Amendment #2 | Pass |
| Amendment #3 | Pass |
| Amendment #4 | Pass |
| Amendment #5 | Pass |
| Amendment #6 | Pass |
Amendment #1: To expand who can become a “Retired” member of IRE (Section 5.01)
Amendment #2: To expand who can apply to be an “Associate” member of IRE (Section 5.01)
Amendment #3: To allow recent college graduates to temporarily remain student members (Section 5.01)
Amendment #4: Technical/grammatical changes to Section 5.01
Amendment #5: To remove gendered language (Section 2.03)
Amendment #6: To clarify that members can vote on Articles amendments virtually (Section 10.10)
IRE has awarded the 2024 Don Bolles Medal to the Marion County Record for remaining steadfast and refusing to be silenced after police raided the Marion, Kansas, newsroom and the home of its publisher in August 2023. Police confiscated the news organization’s computers, hard drives and server, as well as reporters’ personal cell phones.
The raid was an extraordinary act by an American law enforcement agency, taken days after a reporter at the paper questioned the local police chief about potential misconduct at his previous job. It was quickly condemned by news organizations around the country as intimidation of the press and a violation of the First and Fourth Amendments.
The Don Bolles Medal recognizes investigative journalists who have exhibited extraordinary courage in standing up against intimidation or efforts to suppress the truth about matters of public importance.
The 98-year-old co-owner of the Marion County Record, Joan Meyer, died the day after police searched her home. Her son, publisher Eric Meyer, and the staff of the 4,000-circulation weekly newspaper cobbled together the equipment they needed to continue publishing that week’s issue.
“If we hadn’t been able to figure out how to get computers together, Phyllis and I and everybody else would be handwriting notes out on Post-it notes and putting them on doors around the town, because we were going to publish one way or another,” Meyer told the Kansas Reflector days after the raid.
The raid was based on a search warrant obtained by the police chief, who claimed that a reporter committed identity theft by accessing public state records posted online. The Marion County Attorney later said the search warrants were obtained without the evidence needed and the newspaper’s equipment was returned. Months later, the police chief resigned. A state investigation is ongoing.
“IRE is proud to honor the courage and sheer grit of Eric Meyer and his team in the face of the unconscionable actions of law enforcement against journalists doing their jobs for their community," said IRE Executive Director Diana Fuentes.
A six-member committee reviewed more than a dozen nominations for the Don Bolles Medal. The committee included four previous recipients: Roman Badanin, Pelin Unker, Jeremy Jojola and A.C. Thompson. Kristine Phillips and AmyJo Brown also served.
“We took particular note of the small size of the family-owned Marion County Record and its limited resources and recognized the courage it takes to stand up against this incredible pressure in a small community,” said Brown, the committee’s chair. “Local journalists such as Joan and Eric Meyer and Deb Gruver and Phyllis Zorn are critical to protecting our democracy. We want them — and the world — to know we support them.”
"IRE members immediately responded after hearing about these illegal raids, offering whatever help the Marion County Record might need and our condolences on the passing of his mother, Joan Meyer," Fuentes said. "We stood with Eric Meyer that day and we stand with him and his staff today. We will not be intimidated."
The Don Bolles Medal was created in 2017 in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the Arizona Project, an effort led by IRE to finish the work of Don Bolles. The Arizona Republic investigative reporter was killed in 1976 by a car bomb in retaliation for his reporting.
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.
A remarkable commitment to keeping the public in the dark about what’s happening in Georgia’s prisons has earned the Georgia Department of Corrections the 2024 Golden Padlock Award from Investigative Reporters and Editors. The award recognizes the most secretive government agencies in the U.S.
The agency was selected for shielding details about deaths, riots and drug overdoses in the state's prisons from the public, journalists, legislators and even investigators from the Department of Justice.
The department heavily redacted incident reports, rarely announced worker arrests linked to contraband and withheld video footage after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution began exposing failures in the correctional system. After the DOJ opened an investigation, the state agency failed to comply with a federal subpoena for incident reports, internal investigations and audits until the court intervened.
IRE's Golden Padlock committee also named four other finalists that exemplified the techniques of secrecy and obfuscation the award seeks to highlight.
The winner of the 2024 Golden Padlock Award was announced during the awards luncheon at the IRE24 conference in Anaheim, California. IRE invited Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Tyrone Oliver to Anaheim to accept the award, but received no response.
Welcome to Anaheim!
If you’re attending IRE24 and looking for some ways to step away from the conference bubble (in addition to Disney, of course), here are some local events and places to check out! Please note, most events here are not affiliated with IRE, and this is not an exhaustive list.
IRE's annual investigative journalism conference will take place June 20-23 in Anaheim. Learn more about the conference, explore the schedule and register here.
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