IRE Conferences: Atlanta

More than 900 journalists from around the world attended this year ’s IRE Annual Conference in Atlanta, hosted by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and sponsored by 15 organizations,including primary sponsors CNN and Bloomberg.

The four-day conference offered nearly 100 sessions including panels,workshops,roundtables and special hands-on classes in computer-assisted reporting. A list of the sessions can be found at www.ire.org/atlanta04 and tapes of the sessions can be ordered from Sound Images at www.ire.org/training/audio.html.

The sessions included showcase panels and keynote luncheon speech by John Carroll, editor of the Los Angeles Times, who reviewed his recent tenure at the Times and its investigative work. Carroll called on journalists to oppose and criticize broadcast talk shows and news reports that are inaccurate and pose as journalism but are not.

Edward DeLaney, IRE ’s longtime lawyer who recently retired,also addressed the luncheon and urged the assembled journalists to uphold high standards in their profession.

In addition,IRE presented awards at the luncheon to the winners of the IRE Awards. A list of winners and finalists can be found at www.ire.org/contest/past/03winners.html or in the May-June issue of The IRE Journal. The showcase panels covered a wide range of topics: creating an investigative culture in a newsroom, meeting the challenge of covering global infectious diseases, investigating civil rights, and what journalists can learn from documentary work.

Jane Hansen, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Donna McGuire, The Kansas City Star, and Eric Frazier, The Charlotte Observer, suggest resources for fellow reporters during their session on investigating the neglect of children.

Participants in the conference came from 14 countries and IRE held a special Friday luncheon to honor international journalists at the conference. Twenty-four journalists attended the conference on minority, student and small news organization fellowships.

At the annual membership meeting,six incumbents and one newcomer won seats on the 13-member IRE board of directors.

At its June 19 meeting,the IRE membership re-elected Paul Adrian, KDFW-Dallas/Fort Worth; Stephen Doig, Arizona State University; Andy Hall, Wisconsin State Journal; Dianna Hunt, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Shawn McIntosh, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Stephen Miller, The New York Times. The new member is Mark Katches, investigative editor at The Orange County Register.

Afterward, the board elected Boardman its new president, Pohlman as vice president, Phillips as treasurer and Miller as secretary. Former president McIntosh moved to the role of board chair.

Elected as contest judges for the annual IRE Awards were David Cay Johnston of The New York Times and Nancy Amons of WSMV-Nashville. They will join several board members on the IRE Contest Committee.

Journalists who attended the optional day on June 17 focused on computer-assisted reporting were able to attend panels on wide range of topics. Those panels included sessions on using homeland security and military data, using CAR to cover education and investigative reporting using Census data. There were two special tracks for broadcast journalists and for putting together a CAR story from start to finish.

Lea Thompson, Dateline NBC, right, and Elisabeth Leamy, WTTG-Washington, D.C., offer examples in their Atlanta panel on consumer investigations. The conference session included Jim Strickland of WSB-Atlanta.

Other conference events included a showcase panel Friday evening on covering mental health and trauma issues at The Carter Presidential Center, followed by a reception. Transportation to the Carter Center was sponsored by the Dart Center for Trauma and Journalism and the reception was sponsored by Dow, Lohnes & Albertson.

The Blues Bash,once again filled to capacity, was held at two clubs on Thursday night in the Virginia Highlands area of Atlanta and featured Sandra Hall, The Shadows and blues guitarist Luther "House-rocker" Johnson.

On Saturday night, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution hosted a conference reception that drew more than 600 at the Marriott Marquis.

Some conference attendees also took advantage of "mobile" panels to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site on June 18.

At the MLK Jr. site, IRE members were greeted by Martin Luther King III and the National Park Service on the steps of the King Center. Participants were then treated to a guided tour of Dr.King’s birth home, the two-story building that housed the multi-generational King family through 1941. Participants also took self-guided tours of the site that includes the National Park Service Visitor Center, Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, The King Center (Freedom Hall), Dr.King’s tomb and Fire Station No.6, Atlanta’s oldest standing firehouse.

The tour at the CDC started with a walk through a display showing the center’s work in the 20th century. The group was guided thru the influenza research area and heard how the CDC figures out flu shot recipies and plans for preventing the next Spanish Flu-like epidemic. The tour also included the recently completed Emergency Operations Center, with state of the art technology, the press briefing room and the CDC Gift Shop.

Board plans bylaw changes

The IRE Board of Directors is planning to make several changes in the organization ’s bylaws to modernize IRE ’s leadership operations.

The board plans to vote on these changes at its fall meeting and urges members to contact board members or staff if they have questions or comments.

The proposed changes are:

Board members must attend at least two-thirds of the meetings, instead of one-half of the meetings,if the board member seeks re-election.
Eliminating the post of board chair. The president will be head of the executive committee. The executive committee will include the four officers of IRE – president, vice president, treasurer, secretary – plus an additional board member.
All officers, which are elected by the board, must be elected board members. The current bylaws do not require the secretary to be an elected member of the board.
The board must notify members of proposed bylaws changes at least 30 days before a vote on changes. The proposed transition would take place next year.

Annual conference draws more than 900 to Atlanta

Board plans bylaw changes