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Investigative Reporters and Editors is gearing up to start planning the 2024 NICAR Conference, held in Baltimore March 7-10.
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. 15.
We’re excited to be back in Baltimore and see everyone! Please know that IRE takes the health and safety of all attendees, speakers, staff and others involved at our events seriously and follows the guidelines of the CDC. More information about health and 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, colleagues, Slack channels, etc.
Keep in mind that IRE retains editorial control over the content of its conferences. If we use your idea, our team will be in touch to discuss details. Here are some other tips to help you make the best pitch and understand our process.
While the form will close in mid-October, we know your great ideas aren't on a timeline. If creativity strikes, feel free to send us a note at conference@ire.org. We love hearing from you!
Investigative Reporters and Editors is honored to announce that Maria Hinojosa will give the keynote address for AccessFest 2023, IRE’s virtual conference held October 12-14, 2023. Hinojosa will join in conversation with IRE board member Ana Ley on Thursday, October 12, at 12:15 p.m. Eastern.
Maria Hinojosa is the Pulitzer Prize-winning founder of Futuro Media based in New York City. She has written four books, won multiple awards, and these days her focus is deep accountability investigative journalism.
Ana Ley is a reporter at The New York Times, where she covers the New York City transit beat. Before joining The Times, she was a reporter and then an editor at The Virginian-Pilot. She was a 2021 Livingston Award finalist for her stories on the enduring legacy of racism in Virginia politics.
"We are delighted to have someone of Maria's high standing and caliber participating in our all-virtual conference," IRE executive director Diana Fuentes said. "IRE seeks to continue increasing accessibility to the latest in data and investigative journalism techniques. AccessFest opens the door to sometimes difficult — but essential — conversations for improving inclusiveness and equity in the communities we cover as journalists and in the newsrooms where we work. Maria has led at the forefront of this work, and we are proud to have her for the keynote address at AccessFest 2023."
IRE’s director of diversity and inclusion, Francisco Vara-Orta, said, “for many journalists who are looking to forge their own paths in this industry, Maria’s journey inspires. IRE members will benefit from learning how Maria has wielded her skills to do impactful investigative journalism, start a nonprofit news organization, and how she can critically lean into her identity in a field that, at times, can pressure us to push away from who we are. In turn, she and her team have consistently produced work that is of high quality and amplifies voices we often fail to truly listen to and respect.”
AccessFest will be held online Oct. 12-14. The conference, previously branded as the DBEI Symposium, will expand on IRE’s efforts to provide more accessible training centered on belonging, equity, and inclusion in the newsroom and through better news coverage of inequities in the communities journalists serve. The conference will also feature data classes and more traditional investigative reporting panels that are typically seen at NICAR and IRE conferences. More information, including registration and the full schedule, can be found on IRE’s website.
The late Bob Read, managing editor and senior investigative producer for Inside Edition, has been nominated for the IRE Ring of Honor.
The Ring of Honor is a fundraising initiative that supports fellowships for investigative journalists. It celebrates current and past IRE members who have made significant contributions to the organization and to the field of investigative journalism.
"Bob believed wholeheartedly in IRE's mission to train the next generation of investigative journalists with ethics and compassion."
Cindy Galli, ABC News
Since joining Inside Edition in 1990, Read was instrumental in establishing the show’s reputation for exposing scams, rip-offs and hazards that threaten the safety of consumers.
Under his leadership, Inside Edition’s investigative unit produced hard-hitting reports exposing adoption fraud, home repair swindles, child labor in the U.S. and the lavish lifestyle of mega-church preachers. Their investigations have earned many of journalism’s highest honors including the George Polk Award, the IRE Medal, the National Press Club Award and Sigma Delta Chi Award.
But for Read, it was the people whose lives he touched that mattered most.
"He left an indelible mark on all who worked alongside him, especially those that he closely mentored under his wing," said Charlie McLravy, Inside Edition senior producer, in his nomination for Read. "There's a long list of producers who operated next to Read in the investigative trenches that later went on to work and become managers themselves at the networks."
IRE board member Cindy Galli worked on Read’s team at Inside Edition for 13 years before moving to ABC, where she is now executive producer of the investigative unit.
"Bob believed wholeheartedly in IRE's mission to train the next generation of investigative journalists with ethics and compassion," she said. "Generous in giving of his time and talent, he always ensured that his team attended conferences, often giving up his place to allow someone else the opportunity."
Read was diagnosed with COVID-19 in December 2020, after spending 10 months directing Inside Edition’s pandemic coverage. He died in January 2021 at age 60.
After a member is nominated for the Ring of Honor, the IRE Board of Directors reviews the nomination. If the nomination is approved, friends and family launch a fundraising campaign in the nominee's honor. A minimum of $2,500 in donations must be raised for a nominee to be inducted into the Ring of Honor.
The board approved Read’s nomination at the June 14 board meeting. You can support Read’s nomination by making a donation. Please specify that your donation is for Bob Read.
Supporters have two years to raise the funds. Read could be inducted as soon as the IRE conference June 20-23, 2024, in Anaheim, California.
Tax-deductible donations to the Ring of Honor memorialize the legacy of these influential mentors and newsroom leaders while financially supporting the next generation of investigative journalists. Fellowships allow qualified recipients to access IRE benefits, such as attending conferences, participating in training and networking with other investigative journalists.
To nominate someone for the IRE Ring of Honor, fill out a short nomination form available under the "Donate" link on the IRE website.
If you have questions or want more information, send an email to Anna Lopez at anna@ire.org.
Investigative Reporters and Editors stands in solidarity with the Marion County Record in defense of the First Amendment after the Kansas newspaper’s office and the home of its 98-year-old co-owner were raided by local law enforcement Aug. 11.
“The IRE Board is deeply disturbed by reports of the raid on the Marion County Record,” said Board President Brian M. Rosenthal, an investigative reporter at The New York Times. “Journalists play a vital role in informing the public and exposing wrongdoing, and this brazen attempt to interfere with that work should outrage everybody who believes in democracy.”
In raiding the office of the Marion County Record and the home of Joan Meyer, police officers and sheriff’s deputies seized all computers, other office equipment and personal cell phones as well as searched through personal documents.
“It was an unconscionable, illegal action by law enforcement against journalists who were just doing their jobs for their community,” said IRE Executive Director Diana Fuentes.
The search warrant was signed by a Marion County magistrate judge, but the Marion County Record reported that the office where the affidavit supporting the warrant is required to be filed did not have a record of it.
The Marion County Record in Marion, Kansas, is a family-owned paper that started in 1869. It will publish this week despite the raid.
“We are absolutely going to print,” publisher Eric Meyer said Sunday. “I don't care if we have to get a rubber stamp and notepads, we are going to print.”
Meyer’s mother, Joan Meyer, died the day after the raid. Eric Meyer said his mother was in good health for her age and believes her death was a result of the stress caused by the raid on her home.
IRE has received emails and calls from members asking what IRE can do to help the newspaper and staff.
Fuentes spoke with Eric Meyer on Sunday, extending condolences on his mother’s death and offering help — people, equipment, starting a legal fund, whatever is necessary. Meyer said he appreciates the offer of help but at this point doesn't need assistance.
“What we need is time,” he said, noting the priority for him and his staff is publishing this week’s edition.
Fuentes let him know IRE is ready to help with whatever the paper and staff might need in the coming weeks, months and in the future. IRE will continue to monitor the situation.
IRE is proud to be one of many journalism associations working to educate, empower and connect journalists across the globe. We believe the field of journalism is stronger when we work together and learn from each other.
So this year, our organization has renewed its focus on exchanging perspectives and expertise with other journalism associations. In addition to our own conferences, bootcamps and training programs, the IRE team has trained at six partner conferences so far in 2023, with six more coming up before the end of the year.
“As much as we love having people come to our events, we know as an organization it's critical that we also get out to other journalism association events to build relationships and exchange ideas and perspectives,” IRE Director of Diversity and Inclusion Francisco Vara-Orta said. “That in turn helps enrich what we do for our members and, we hope, for theirs as well.”
Along with Executive Director Diana Fuentes, Vara-Orta has led IRE’s strategy to engage with a wide range of organizations — with special focus on those that serve journalists of color and other historically marginalized groups.
In June, IRE board member and former training director Mark Walker served as a faculty member and mentor in the Maynard Institute for Journalism’s Maynard 200 Fellowship program in Fort Worth, Texas.
In July, Vara-Orta attended the National Association of Hispanic Journalists conference in Miami with IRE training directors Adam Rhodes and Laura Moscoso. Vara-Orta took part in panels on mental health support for queer colleagues, in partnership with NAHJ’s LGBTQ+ task force, and education coverage, in partnership with the Education Writers Association (EWA). Rhodes and Moscoso presented five training sessions in English and Spanish on topics such as FOIA requests, accountability interviews and hands-on data journalism training.
The following week, Fuentes attended the Asian American Journalists Association conference in Washington, D.C, conducting a training session on accessing public data.
In August, Fuentes will attend the NABJ Convention in Birmingham, Alabama, with Walker, who will present two sessions on investigative and data journalism. Vara-Orta will travel to Winnipeg, Canada, to take part in a panel on freedom of information requests at NAJA’s National Native Media Conference. Meanwhile, Rhodes will attend NLGJA’s 2023 National Convention in Philadelphia to offer an introduction to investigative reporting and public records.
Our training outreach efforts also extend to organizations that focus on particular beats. Earlier this year, Vara-Orta offered training on source diversity at the EWA conference in Atlanta. IRE Senior Training Director Liz Lucas also presented an introduction to data journalism at the Association of Health Care Journalists conference in St. Louis.
Coming up, Lucas and Fuentes will attend the Global Investigative Journalism Network conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, where Lucas will offer five training sessions on data journalism. Fuentes will also attend the Online News Association conference in Philadelphia and the Society of Professional Journalists convention in Las Vegas, where she will provide FOIA training. And in October, Rhodes will travel to the Military Veterans in Journalism Convention in New York City to offer training on public records and an introduction to investigative reporting.
We attend and train at journalism conferences as budget and staff availability allow, and join forces with partner organizations to present webinars and regional events. But of course, we can’t be everywhere at once.
When we can’t attend events ourselves, we invite our fellow journalism organizations to collaborate with us on panels in their area of expertise at IRE conferences.
At this year’s IRE conference in Orlando, we worked with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press to develop several sessions on public records and media law. We also partnered with the National Center on Disability and Journalism to present a session on developing a disability beat. Both organizations helped organize the panels and sent speakers of their own to the conference. We also collaborated with the Global Investigative Journalism Network on a session highlighting the best international investigations of the year.
More partner programming is in the works for AccessFest, our virtual-by-design conference coming up October 12-14, 2023. We’re working with EWA on two sessions covering disparities and inequities in higher education and k-12 schools. Plus, our friends at Factchequeado will present a session in both English and Spanish examining whether non-English speaking communities in the U.S. are more vulnerable to mis- and disinformation than English speakers. See more expected sessions for AccessFest23.
Connections like these make the journalism community stronger than ever, and help all of us better serve our members and the communities they cover. If you are involved with other journalism organizations and have ideas for collaborations or partnerships with IRE, we’d love to hear from you! Drop us a note at info@ire.org or contact Director of Diversity & Inclusion Francisco Vara-Orta directly at francisco@ire.org.
IRE also offers customized in-person and online training for newsrooms. You can decide which skills your staff needs to sharpen, and we will put together a training schedule to help you reach your goals — from building a watchdog culture and effectively using databases to source diversity and inclusive newsroom practices. Learn more about our custom training or submit a request online.
Investigative Reporters and Editors concluded another successful IRE Conference, June 22-25 in Orlando, Florida.
While we were in the theme park capital of the world, sources say IRE23 was just as thrilling: “THIS is like Disney (World) to me,” University of Missouri student Claudia Levens said.
We welcomed more than 1,300 conference attendees and organized more than 200 panel discussions, classes and networking sessions over the four-day conference at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld.
We made new friends and reunited with old ones. From networking sessions and mentorship meetings, to the random run-ins with former colleagues, editors and professors, IRE23 attendees had much to reflect, reminisce and talk about.
Lauren McGaughy, investigative reporter at Dallas Morning News, and Riley Bunch, city hall reporter at The Atlanta Journal Constitution, found the conference inspiring.
“Getting a little break from work and getting to learn, which we don’t really get time off to do a lot anymore as working journalists, has been very fulfilling,” McGaughy said. “It’s great to catch up with people from the last several papers I’ve worked at and see what work they’re doing now. It’s very exciting.”
“It’s very easy in our industry to get discouraged about what you’re doing,” Bunch said. “But then when you’re surrounded by journalists who are doing amazing work despite any challenges they might have in their newsroom or on their beats, it reinvigorates you to want to be in the field and pursue stories that you want to pursue.”
We met cute dogs. We had some fun on TikTok.
We drank a lot of coffee and got lost on the way to several sessions. We treasured meeting our journalism idols in real life, and we heard the words “I know you from Twitter” more than once.
We shared business cards and laughs. We were moved to tears.
Bob Segall, investigative reporter at WTHR-TV in Indianapolis, shared this scene from Boyd Huppert’s master class, “It’s just video… Until a storyteller creates an experience.”
“Does YOUR industry conference move you to tears? The line of attendees waiting to speak with @BoydHuppert after his epic writing seminar is out the door,” Segall tweeted. “At the front of the line, Boyd is giving a comforting hug. The power of finding the right words is overwhelming.”
And just a week after the conference, journalists including Nicholas Florko of Stat News and John Bedell of WHIO-TV are already using the skills they learned at IRE23.
“The fact that I have now run a Python script and used Tabula in one day, despite not knowing what either of those were last week, is proof enough that everyone should go to the IRE conference at least once in their career,” Florko shared on Twitter.
Did you come to Orlando but miss a speaker you really wanted to hear? Don't worry. We've got you covered. Accessing speaker's presentation slides and supplements in the IRE Resource Center is a perk of IRE membership. Not every session at IRE23 will have additional materials, and not every session was recorded (audio coming soon).
Speakers, if you have not done so already, please send your tipsheets and other materials to tipsheets@ire.org. IRE23 materials received so far are already online.
At the IRE23 awards luncheon, we celebrated the best investigative journalism of 2022 and congratulated the IRE Award winners and finalists across 19 categories — selected out of more than 400 entries.
We honored late Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, posthumously awarding him the IRE Don Bolles Medal. German was killed at his home in September 2022; a county official who was the subject of German’s reporting has been charged with murder in his death.
Three of German’s colleagues, Rhonda Prast, Briana Erickson and Art Kane, delivered a powerful joint keynote address about him and the continuation of his work.
“When you kill a reporter, you don’t kill the story,” Erickson said.
She urged attendees to remember German “for the impactful work he did, and not for the heinous way he was killed.” German was best known for his relentless dedication to uncovering government corruption and exposing the misdeeds of Sin City’s notorious mob figures.
Also at the awards luncheon, IRE proudly announced the organization has named its Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship in honor of Chauncey Bailey, a respected journalist who was covering his community of Oakland, California, when he was murdered in August 2007. His sister, Lorelei Waqia, and Bob Butler and Thomas Peele of The Chauncey Bailey Project were recognized at the ceremony.
And we inducted the first two honorees into the new IRE Ring of Honor. This fundraising initiative honors IRE members who have made significant contributions to the organization and to the field of investigative journalism. The first inductees are IRE legends: the late David Donald of Investigative Reporting Workshop at American University and the late Tom Torok of The Washington Post. Torok’s widow, Elena Torok, and their daughter Cece Lentini Torok accepted the plaque in his name. Colleague and former IRE board memberJennifer LaFleur received it on behalf of Donald’s family.
Another highlight of the IRE23 awards luncheon was the presentation of the annual Golden Padlock Award, the dubious “honor” recognizing the most secretive government agencies in the United States. Staunchly blocking the release of internal emails about a growing public health risk involving nitrate pollution earned Nebraska’s Department of Environment & Energy the 2023 Golden Padlock Award.
This year’s conference helped foster IRE’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
IRE hosted several Spanish-language sessions for the first time, featuring panel discussions with speakers and personalized one-on-one feedback sessions. We also hosted panels on how to investigate LGBTQ+ issues in the legal system and how to report on the anti-trans legislation across the country.
Krystal Nurse, diversity stories reporter at Lansing State Journal, was excited to attend these sessions, especially with the current political climate.
“I want to know how (in) my reporting, how I can help demystify a lot of the rhetoric behind the LGBTQ+ community and the stuff that’s trying to damage them,” Nurse said.
In the course of sessions at IRE23, journalists also talked about mental health, a theme important now more than ever.
An IRE23 showcase panel focused on the Uvalde school shooting and the lessons learned from covering tragedy. This emotional session featured Kimberly Rubio, a journalist in Uvalde, whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was killed in the mass shooting. With the rush to break news and get the story, she reminded journalists there are real people on the other side of the camera.
"Always remember why you got into this field,” Rubio said.
Bruce Shapiro, executive director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, shared guidance on interviewing people with trauma. Journalists can be sensitive by being extra transparent in the reporting process, spending time with sources and going the extra mile to get permission.
“We need to understand that every trauma survivor is someone who has lost a huge sense of agency, of control,” Shapiro said.
At the panel “Finding balance: How to manage stress at work at home,” Zack Newman of KUSA-TV, independent journalist Peter Nickeas and Neena Satija of the Houston Chronicle, discussed tips for dealing with trauma as reporters.
Their tip sheet – which you can view here – highlights how trauma can build up over time and present in real time. One major piece of advice is to remove your entire self-worth from your profession; you are more than just a journalist.
Lastly, we have several new faces in leadership! We’re excited to have new members elected to the Board of Directors, including Hyuntaek “Tag” Lee, a journalist from South Korea, the first international member to serve on the board since 2014, and two new Contest Committee members. Soon after IRE23 concluded, the board convened to vote on officers for 2023-24. Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times is the new president.
The board is seeking volunteers for committees, where you can discuss your ideas and help to develop policy and set the future direction of our organization. If you’re interested, fill out this form by Friday, July 14. To find out more about what it’s like to serve on a committee, join us at a Q&A webinar Thursday, July 13, at 5 p.m. EDT.
IRE is able to host our annual conference and grow in our mission of training investigative journalists thanks to the generous support of our sponsors. We raised more than $230,000 for IRE23!
We very much appreciate our IRE23 sponsors: ABC News, ABC Owned Television Stations & ESPN, Arnold Ventures, Bloomberg, Knight Foundation, NBC News/NBCUniversal Local, CNN, Google Trends, Gray Television, ProPublica, Sinclair Broadcast Group, TEGNA Foundation, Houston Chronicle, Lumina Foundation, Napoli Management Group, National Association of Broadcasters, Scripps News, Shullman Fugate PLLC, Wallace House Center for Journalists, Central Florida Foundation, Cox Media Group, George Washington University, School of Media & Public Affairs, Global Investigative Journalism Network, Graham Media Group, Holland & Knight, Investigative Reporting Workshop/American University, McClatchy, Newspack, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Thomas & LoCicero
Thank you also to our members for attending and presenting at the conference. We look forward to seeing you at upcoming IRE events!
Find conference photos by Rashika Jaipuriar available via this public photo album in Google Drive. The photos have also been loaded to IRE's Facebook page as an album.
IRE offers training throughout the year. Check our event calendar for upcoming programming near you!
Upcoming conference dates and sites are confirmed. Join us online at AccessFest, October 12-14, an all-virtual conference focused on increased accessibility for high-quality training for all, and NICAR 2024 in Baltimore, March 7-10. IRE 2024 will be in Anaheim, California, June 20-23.
We also have fellowship and scholarship opportunities for journalists at all stages of their careers to attend IRE conferences and training events. We are now accepting applications for our Freelance Fellowship and Chauncey Bailey fellowship.
IRE is seeking volunteers for its committees, which work with staff on a wide range of important tasks, from making recommendations for speakers and panels for conferences and workshops to brainstorming ways to better serve members.
To serve, you just need to be a member of IRE and have a passion for helping your colleagues.
If you're interested, fill out this Google form by Friday, July 14.
Any IRE member can serve on a committee. Appointees serve for one year.
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 and your perspective are heard is to serve on a committee, where the decision-making process begins.
To find out more about how committees work, join us at a Q&A webinar Thursday, July 13, at 5 p.m. EDT. You can learn about the process and what serving on a committee involves. Register here.
Committees include:
If you have questions, please contact IRE President Brian Rosenthal at brian.rosenthal@nytimes.com.
The new president of the IRE Board of Directors is Brian M. Rosenthal, investigative reporter at The New York Times.
Previously, Rosenthal served as treasurer.
The 13-member Board of Directors elected new officers for 2023-24 on June 30, 2023.
The new vice president is Josh Hinkle, director of investigations and innovation at KXAN in Austin, Texas. Previously, Hinkle served as secretary.
The board elected Mark Greenblatt as treasurer. Greenblatt is executive editor of the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Before taking on his new position at ASU, Greenblatt was the senior national investigative correspondent at Scripps News in Washington, D.C., for 10 years.
The new secretary is Darla Cameron, managing editor for visual journalism at the Texas Tribune. The new At-large Officer is 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.
As immediate past president, Mark Walker, investigative reporter at The New York Times, will continue to serve on the IRE Executive Committee in an advisory role as Chairman of the Board.
Officers serve one-year terms. All board members serve two-year terms; six are elected one year and seven the next year. Six seats were up for election this year.
Cameron, Greenblatt, Vo and Walker are in the second year of their two-year terms on the board.
Rosenthal and Hinkle were reelected in this year’s board elections to another two-year term. Board members Cindy Galli and Jodie Fleischer also were reelected to two-year terms on the board in this year’s elections.
Two new board members were elected: Hyuntaek “Tag” Lee, an assistant editor at The Chosun Ilbo, a major newspaper in Seoul, South Korea, and Ana Ley, a reporter at The New York Times.
The results of the 2023 elections were announced at IRE23 in Orlando, Florida, on June 24.
Former board members Neena Satija, investigative reporter at the Houston Chronicle, and Barbara Rodriguez, state politics and voting reporter at The 19th*, ended their two-year terms in June. They chose not to seek reelection and were honored for their service at the IRE23 Awards Luncheon on June 24.
Investigative Reporters and Editors is proud to announce it is naming its Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship in honor of Chauncey Bailey, a respected journalist who was covering his community of Oakland, California, when he was murdered in August 2007.
The Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship will continue IRE’s programming of offering guidance and support to journalists from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences who are working within the field of investigative journalism. The fellowship, first launched in 2018, is made possible by the generosity of IRE members and news organization sponsors.
“This is such an honor,” said Lorelei Waqia, Bailey’s sister, who attended the naming ceremony June 24, 2023, at IRE’s annual national conference in Orlando, Florida. “He was so passionate about his work and his craft. He was a seeker of truth. To me, journalism is not a profession, it’s a calling. I hope this empowers (young journalists) to continue their work.”
Bailey, editor of the Oakland Post, was investigating a local bakery’s troubled finances when he was gunned down on his way to work. The head of the bakery was convicted of murder for ordering the shooting and was sentenced to life without parole. The man who shot Bailey was sentenced to a reduced sentence of 25 years in prison in exchange for his testimony.
The effort by Bailey’s peers to finish his work is known as The Chauncey Bailey Project — a coalition that continues today, highlighting the journalism community’s commitment to uncovering the truth despite efforts to stop it.
“IRE honoring Mr. Bailey in this way is a testament to the importance of knowing you cannot kill a story by killing a journalist,” said Bob Butler, one of the founding members of the project and a recently retired journalist, who worked 42 years for KCBS Radio in San Francisco.
As IRE nears its 50-year anniversary, the organization and its membership are reminded of the risks that journalists take in covering their communities.
“Much like IRE rallied in its early days to finish Don Bolles’ work after he was murdered to try to stop his investigative reporting, Chauncey Bailey’s shocking death prompted dozens of journalists, editors and others to work together to investigate the shooting and finish his reporting,” said Mark Walker, board president at the time of the June 24 naming announcement.
“We recognize the importance of our mission to provide training and resources and to maintain a community of support for investigative journalists,” Walker said. “We continue Mr. Bailey’s legacy through this fellowship.”
Bailey was a well respected journalist who specialized in covering communities of color. His 37-year career in journalism, which included stints in Detroit and Oakland, exemplifies the type of tough investigative reporting essential to a journalist’s watchdog role.
“The work is difficult. It’s sometimes scary, but it needs to be done,” Butler said. “If you’re a young journalist and you want to do investigative work especially, it’s not easy. It’s not easy to go to a courthouse and sit there and go through documents for hours on end, but that’s what we have to do to hold people accountable.
“People who do wrong do not want that wrong to come into the light,” Butler added. “The best disinfectant for people like that is sunlight.”
Butler said the Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship will help train young journalists in how to bring wrongdoing into the light, the way Bailey did.
Applications for the 2024 Chauncey Bailey Journalists of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship are now being accepted. The deadline to apply is Oct. 5. You can find the application and read more about the fellowship here.
To support this fellowship program, donations can be made at ire.org/donate. Please write “JOC Fellowship” in the tribute or note field.
To serve as a sponsor for the program, contact Anna Lopez, IRE Director of Partnerships, at anna@ire.org.
(This report was written by Barbara Rodriguez with contribution from Rashika Jaipuriar.)
Four incumbents — Cindy Galli of ABC News, Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times, Josh Hinkle of KXAN and Jodie Fleischer of Cox Media Group — along with two newcomers, Ana Ley of The New York Times and Hyuntaek Lee of The Chosun Ilbo in South Korea, were elected to two-year terms for the IRE Board of Directors in election results announced Saturday, June 24, 2023. IRE members also elected two members of the Contest Committee, which judges the IRE Awards.
The board will meet to elect new officers within 30 days.
New members of the Contest Committee are Walter Smith Randolph of Connecticut Public Broadcasting and John Russell of the Indianapolis Business Journal.
Full election results for the Board of Directors:
| Rank | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jodie Fleischer | 616 | 75.03 |
| 2 | Brian M . Rosenthal | 613 | 74.67 |
| 3 | Cindy Galli | 581 | 70.77 |
| 4 | Ana Ley | 557 | 67.84 |
| 5 | Josh Hinkle | 533 | 64.92 |
| 6 | Hyuntaek Lee | 399 | 48.60 |
| 7 | Rick Gevers | 371 | 45.19 |
Full election results for the Contest Committee:
| Rank | Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Smith Randolph | 549 | 70.47 |
| 2 | John Russell | 418 | 53.66 |
| 3 | Mark Lagerkvist | 345 | 44.29 |
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