IRE can help you schedule type of training event that bets fits your organization's needs, including a Better Watchdog/Unleashing combination. The combined schedule features tracks for editors and reporters, plus joint sessions on investigative basics.

A Better Watchdog Workshop is intended to help journalists at small- to medium-sized news organizations — and those in bureaus of larger organizations — to learn the investigative skills that keep government and business accountable and to produce enterprising and informative stories. Critical among the skills is the ability to use federal and state FOI laws to open the doors to public information.

IRE, with funding from the Chicago Tribune Foundation, the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation and the Las Vegas Sun, Barbara J. Greenspun, offers these fast-paced workshops throughout the United States and shows how improved reporting skills, often aided by the employment of open-records laws, can result in top-notch journalism. A small team of expert instructors runs the workshops, bringing together IRE's expertise at journalism training and FOI issues. Program materials include some of the best IRE tipsheets on beat coverage. The registration fee includes a 6-month membership in IRE.

In some cases, the workshops may be extended to Sunday for special sessions for students or for hands-on training in computer-assisted reporting.

Editors, put some new bite into your journalism!

IRE and the American Society of Newspaper Editors are offering a series of regional seminars for midlevel editors on how to conceive of, manage and produce watchdog journalism on a daily, beat and long-term basis.

The Unleashing the Watchdogs workshops feature top editors and trainers who have years of experience in producing investigative and enterprise work. They share tips and techniques on how to get watchdog journalism done, especially from reporters covering beats and daily stories.

The workshops also cover the guiding of reporters in the effective use of the Internet, open records laws, computer-assisted reporting and anonymous sources.

Read more about this exciting program in The American Editor (.PDF).