IRE stands in solidarity with the Marion County Record in defense of the First Amendment after the Kansas newspaper’s office and the home of its 98-year-old co-owner were raided Aug. 11 by local law enforcement.

“The IRE Board is deeply disturbed by reports of the raid on the Marion County Record,” said Board President Brian M. Rosenthal, an investigative reporter at The New York Times. “Journalists play a vital role in informing the public and exposing wrongdoing, and this brazen attempt to interfere with that work should outrage everybody who believes in democracy.”

Police and sheriff's deputies seized all computers and personal cell phones, among other items. Joan Meyer, publisher Eric Meyer's mother, died the day after her home was raided.

IRE will continue to monitor the situation.

The IRE Board of Directors will meet Aug. 26, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. EDT in New York City at The New York Times, 620 Eighth Avenue. The meeting is open to IRE members and will be available on Zoom. To attend, members must register.

The agenda includes a policy proposal for the timeline of executive committee elections, rules regarding local meetup events, contest committee recommendations and strategic planning for the coming year, among other business.

IRE’s 2023 Don Bolles Medal was posthumously awarded to Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, who was killed at his home in September 2022. A county official who was the subject of German's reporting has been charged with murder in his death.

The Don Bolles Medal is presented annually to recognize investigative journalists who have exhibited extraordinary courage in standing up against intimidation or efforts to suppress the truth about matters of public importance.

Registration is open for IRE's annual virtual-by-design conference! Accessfest23 will take place online, Oct. 12-14.

Take an early look at some of the topics we plan to offer, including newsroom culture, allyship, publishing content accessible to screen readers and the impacts of disinformation in non-English speaking communities.

Previously named the DBEI Symposium, AccessFest23 provides accessible training centered on belonging, equity, and inclusion in the newsroom and how to better cover the communities we serve. It's expanding to include data classes and more traditional investigative reporting sessions typically seen at NICAR and the IRE Conference.

Join us! The early bird rate of $149 is available until Sept. 14.