The Justice Department’s seizure of telephone records from editors and reporters of The Associated Press was an attack against a free press with dangerous implications for the ability of journalists to gather information, the president of Investigative Reporters and Editors said Tuesday.

“This is what police states do, not governments of the people,” IRE Board President David Cay Johnston said.

“Journalists have a duty to watchdog the government and hold it accountable without surveillance or other interference,” Johnston said.

The Justice Department secretly obtained two months worth of phone records for more than 20 lines assigned to AP and ...

IRE hosted a Google Hangout on Tuesday with members of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, who discussed their ongoing investigation into offshore banking secrets. The reporting began with a leaked cache of 2.5 million records, and has since involved -- at last count -- 86 journalist in 47 countries.

Viewers from all over the world tuned in to learn more about ICIJ's project. Cities with live viewers included Chicago, London, Madrid, Narpes in Finland, New York and San Diego.

In a discussion moderated by Wendell Cochran, former IRE board member and Senior Editor of the Investigative Reporting Workshop, the ...

We need two thoughtful and committed judges for the 2013 IRE Contest Committee! They will be elected by the membership at the Annual Membership Meeting in San Antonio. 

What are you getting into if you say yes?

You will learn so much from your colleagues work. We guarantee you will feel good about what you have done.

You will have served IRE well.

But, as a contest judge you may not enter any of your own work or any work in which you have had a substantial part during the year you serve.

There is a time commitment: You will ...

A big "Thank You" to all who participated in another successful membership drive!

The results of the drawing are:

• 1st Place – Kate Perry, The Florida Times-Union
  3 Hotel nights and registration for the 2013 IRE Conference in San Antonio
•  2nd Place - Abby Rapoport, KNXV-Phoenix
  Two years of free IRE Membership 
•  3rd Place – Lori Jane Gliha, Prospect Magazine
  $50 toward books at the IRE Bookstore

A strong group of stories were submitted to IRE for the IRE Freelance Fellowship competition.  The winners of the Freelance Fellowships for 2013 are:  Wally Roberts, for his story on abuse in the nation’s largest nursing homes; Leah Bartos, for her work regarding shoddy forensic work; Erin Segal, for her work on misunderstood aspects of our immigration policy, specifically on the deportation of military veterans; and Joyce Tsai, for her stories on the number of awards given to servicemen and women during the War on Terror.

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, this fellowship program has allowed ...

Investigative Reporters & Editors, Inc. is launching a new award -- dubbed the Golden Padlock -- recognizing the most secretive publicly-funded agency or person in the United States. It is calling on journalists and the public for worthy nominees.

"This honor acknowledges the dedication of government officials working tirelessly to keep vital information hidden from the public," said David Cay Johnston, president of IRE . "Their abiding commitment to secrecy and impressive skill in information suppression routinely keeps knowledge about everything from public health risks to government waste beyond the reach of citizens who pay their salaries."

IRE is now accepting nominations for the ...

At its June 20 meeting during our annual conference in San Antonio, the IRE Board of Directors will consider modifying the policy that bans entries in the IRE Awards if a Board member has been involved with a story at any level.

IRE currently has one of the strictest such policies of any journalism contest. Under the policy, any involvement by a board member makes a story ineligible. In addition to writing, reporting, editing and producing, this has been interpreted to include senior editors who helped provide direction or did a final read on a project.

The policy was designed ...

Lawyers have continuing legal education. Doctors have continuing medical education. What do journalists have? IRE!

While the underlying ethic of investigative journalism does not change, technology and the media are changing faster than ever. So stick with us. We will help each other.

IRE is holding a membership drive throughout April, and everyone who either signs up or renews is eligible for prizes, including free hotel and registration for either the IRE or CAR conference.

We are asking you to take these simple steps:

1.  Renew your membership (regardless of when it expires). Maybe consider re-upping for three years. It ...

Investigative Reporters & Editors salutes Linsdey Hobbs of Otterbein University in Ohio, recipient of the eighth annual Betty Gage Holland Award recognizing excellence in college journalism. Hobbs and the student newspaper at Otterbein, The Tan & Cardinal, were honored for their continued coverage of increased secrecy surrounding campus crime in 2012.

After Otterbein's campus security force gained certification as a full police department in late 2011, Hobbs investigated. She found a longstanding pattern of student misdemeanors -- and sometimes more serious crimes -- being handled through campus judicial proceedings rather than criminal courts. Subsequent reporting by Hobbs also details the inconsistency with which ...

In 2012 IRE added a new fellowship in remembrance of longtime IRE member and supporter David Dietz. The fellowship honors his memory and legacy by helping a journalist who has demonstrated an interest in financial investigative journalism and who has fewer than 10 years professional experience. This fellowship covers IRE conference registration fees, provides $750 in reimbursed travel and lodging expenses and a one-year IRE membership. The winner of this fellowship will also be enrolled in IRE's mentorship program and will be paired with a top investigative journalist in the field of financial journalism, for a year-long mentorship, which ...