Manny García, Shawn McIntosh nominated for IRE Ring of Honor

(March 5, 2025) — Manny García, Editor in Chief at Houston Landing, and Shawn McIntosh, Head of Standards and Practices at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, have been nominated for the prestigious IRE Ring of Honor.

The Ring of Honor is a fundraising initiative that supports fellowships for investigative journalists and celebrates legendary current and past members of Investigative Reporters and Editors.

Both past presidents of the IRE Board of Directors, García and McIntosh are renowned standard bearers for investigative and data journalism and beloved mentors in the IRE community.

Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, García is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who has held leadership positions at major institutions including the Miami Herald, Nuevo Heraldo, USA Today Network and the Pro Publica-Texas Tribune Investigative Unit, among others.

McIntosh, a pioneer in computer-assisted reporting and founder of NICAR, has been at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for more than 22 years. She also serves on the board of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.

García and McIntosh join the late John Bones as the three nominees for the IRE Ring of Honor. Bones, known as the father of data journalism in Norway, was an IRE stalwart before his untimely death last year.

“It is fitting that in the year we are celebrating our 50th anniversary, IRE is looking at paying tribute to three of our most important firsts: John Bones, the first international IRE member nominated for the Ring of Honor; Shawn McIntosh, our first female nominee; and Manny García, the first person of color elected president of IRE,” said IRE Executive Director Diana R. Fuentes.

“Manny and Shawn continue to be active members of IRE and are admired mentors for the next generation of journalists,” Fuentes said. “We are privileged to count them among our ranks. John was taken from us too soon. He is sorely missed.”

The Ring of Honor, an initiative started in 2022, is open to current and past members of IRE. 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 conduct a campaign to raise funds to honor the nominee. A minimum of $2,500 in donations is required to induct the nominee into the Ring of Honor.

The funds provide fellowships and help journalists and students gain access to IRE’s top-of-the-line training, resources and networking opportunities.

Bones, who was nominated in October, will be inducted into the Ring of Honor at the 2025 IRE Conference in New Orleans. You can learn more about his campaign here.

Bones was general manager of SKUP, the Norwegian counterpart of IRE, when he died of cancer May 13, 2024. He was 69. He had previously been in leadership roles at VG, the most-read daily in Norway. Bones regularly brought groups of international journalists to NICAR and the IRE Conference.

The nominations for García and McIntosh were approved at the Feb. 7 board meeting.

García served on the IRE Board of Directors from 2006 to 2014; he was elected president in 2011, serving one term. McIntosh served on the board from 1994 to 2006 and was first elected president in 2002, serving two terms.

Learn more and donate to García’s campaign here. Learn more and donate to McIntosh’s campaign here.

“All three have contributed significantly not only to our organization, but to our industry as a whole,” Fuentes said. “They helped shape investigative and data journalism as we know it today.”

The organizers of the campaigns for García and McIntosh hope to complete fundraising by June so they can be inducted at the IRE Conference in June.

Donations are tax deductible and help IRE recognize the legacy of these influential newsroom leaders while financially supporting the new wave of investigative journalists. For more information about the Ring of Honor, send an email to Anna López, IRE’s director of partnerships, at anna@ire.org.