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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.
July 1, 2020
Four journalists, targeted by extremist groups in retaliation for their reporting, are recipients of the 2020 Don Bolles Medal from Investigative Reporters and Editors for their courageous commitment to exposing the truth about this element of American society.
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.
Investigative journalists Chris Ingalls, Jeremy Jojola and A.C. Thompson each became the subject of efforts to intimidate them and their families for their reporting. Syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts Jr., known for his commitment to shining the spotlight on extremism in America, also was targeted.
“These four amazing journalists epitomize the essence of this award,” IRE Board President Cheryl W. Thompson said. “The threats of violence and intimidation they and their families faced from extremist groups are things that no one should have to deal with just to do their job.”
In February 2020, federal authorities announced that they had arrested several members of a white supremacist group, known as the Atomwaffen Division, for their efforts to intimidate journalists.
Court records indicated that one Atomwaffen leader said in a recorded message, “We must simply approach them with nothing but pure aggression. We cannot let them think they are safe.”
A.C. Thompson, a reporter for ProPublica and correspondent for PBS Frontline’s “Documenting Hate” films, was the target of a swatting effort by the group, prosecutors say. New York police responded to ProPublica’s offices after receiving a call that there was a pipe bomb, a hostage and a dead body inside. Prosecutors say Atomwaffen made another false report to send police to Thompson’s home, claiming he was armed and had just killed his wife.
Chris Ingalls of King 5 in Seattle, who has reported on Atomwaffen’s “hate camps” in Washington state, was forced to leave his home with his wife and children on the recommendation of federal authorities who received information that Atomwaffen planned to pay them a visit. He later received a mailing sent to his home that warned ‘you’ve been visited by your local Nazis,” adding “death to pigs.”
Leonard Pitts Jr., who has reminded his readers that “the refusal to take a stand is a stand in itself,” was also the target of a swatting attack by Atomwaffen, prosecutors say. Police ordered Pitts out of his house, forced him to his knees and handcuffed him while they investigated a call claiming that his wife or another person was “being murdered” inside the home.
Jeremy Jojola of 9News in Denver, who reported on local neo-Nazis and a group known as the Proud Boys, was targeted by extremists who visited his home when his wife and child were there alone, court records show. One Proud Boy member threatened Jojola in a tweet that warned: "You are the enemy of the American people we will bring this to your home your work your child's school. The way antifa does to us. … The fury of America is upon you and your communist friends."
Former IRE Board member Phil Williams, who has spearheaded the nomination process for the Don Bolles Medal, said the selection of these four journalists sends an unmistakable message.
“We stand arm in arm with our fellow journalists in their courageous reporting on hate in America,” Williams said. “We are their insurance policy.”
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.
June 30, 2020
Cheryl W. Thompson of NPR will serve another year as IRE’s board president, the full board decided unanimously today during a livestreamed video meeting. Thompson, IRE’s first African-American president, has served in the role during the past two years. She is in her sixth year on the IRE board.
The board also elected other members of the Executive Committee for one-year terms:
During a month-long online voting process that concluded June 20, IRE members elected seven candidates to the board, including three Black members, increasing representation to a total of four. In addition, women hold a majority for the second consecutive year on the 13-member board.
Following the announcement of election results, the newly constituted board elected officers on June 20. The process resulted in an all-white Executive Committee. On June 24, the Executive Committee announced that all five members would resign to pave the way for a new election of officers.
Board members are elected by IRE members for two-year terms: seven seats during even-numbered years and six seats in odd-numbered years. There are no term limits for board members. Each year, the full board votes on one-year terms for its Executive Committee: president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and an at-large member.
June 29, 2020
IRE recently awarded eight fellowships to upcoming Data Journalism Bootcamps thanks to the generosity of financial supporters. Recipients will either attend the August Online Data Journalism Bootcamp or the January 2021 Data Journalism Bootcamp. IRE is fortunate to have funding available to provide fellowships for financial assistance.
Alexia Fernandez Campbell from the Center for Public Integrity, Kaylee Tornay from Mail Tribune (Medford, Oregon) and Andrea Perdomo from WGCU Public Media (Ft. Myers, Florida), 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.
Ramon Galindo from KNSD-TV (San Diego, California) and Archith Seshadri from Nexstar Media Group, received the Knight TV Data Fellowship.
The Knight TV Data Fellowship is funded by the Knight Foundation to strengthen data watchdog skills at local TV stations across the United States.
Carter Walker from LNP Media Group received the Total Newsroom Training Fellowship.
Total Newsroom Training (TNT) Fellowships are open to those who have completed two days of TNT training.
Samantha Hogan from Pine Tree Watch/Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting and Liz Owens from WRDW/WAGT-TV (Augusta, Georgia), 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.
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