Announcing the Jeff German Fund for Investigative Journalism

CONTACT: IRE Executive Director Diana Fuentes, diana@ire.org, 573-882-1984

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Working with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Investigative Reporters & Editors has established the Jeff German Fund for Investigative Journalism to help continue the kind of game-changing investigations German devoted his life to producing.

German, who joined the Review-Journal in 2010, was killed outside his home in Las Vegas on Sept. 2. A county official who was the subject of German’s reporting earlier this year is in jail without bond, charged with murder in German’s stabbing death.

To get the fund started, the Review-Journal has donated $5,000.

“We honor Jeff by telling the kinds of stories he would chase relentlessly,” Review-Journal Executive Editor Glenn Cook said. “We can think of no better tribute than ensuring that journalists with courage have the training they need to conduct important investigations and hold government accountable. This fund will pay Jeff's legacy forward for a long time to come.”

The IRE Board of Directors and staff have contributed $1,200.

“Jeff’s senseless death evoked a strong resolve from journalists across the country that we will not be intimidated,” said Diana Fuentes, IRE executive director. “This fund will help journalists follow in Jeff’s footsteps, holding those in elected office accountable to the people they serve.”

A veteran investigative reporter of 40 years, German was an early member of IRE, participating in training and networking. Colleagues said his first conference was in San Diego in 1981 and he was an active member at the time of his death.

IRE Board President Mark Walker encouraged fellow journalists to contribute to the new fund.

“We have had many IRE members who have asked how they can help and donating to this fund to honor Jeff German’s work is one of those ways,” Walker said. “It shows that we are undaunted in our pursuit of accountability journalism. It often takes a great deal of time, dogged persistence and a fearless drive to get the job done — that’s what Jeff had. We seek to honor his dedication to journalism and to ensure it continues to thrive.”

Donations can be made in several ways, including PayPal, credit card and text, at the IRE donation link: https://www.ire.org/donate/  Please write “Jeff German” in the message or tribute field.

The fund will help journalists get training in the latest investigative reporting skills as well as tried-and-true methods at IRE conferences and workshops. For information on training opportunities, go to the IRE events page.

IRE is a grassroots, nonprofit organization of more than 5,000 members from around the world, dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting and fostering ethics in journalism. IRE seeks to educate, empower and connect journalists so the people we serve can live in a better, more informed world. For more information, visit www.ire.org