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The year is already off to a busy start for Investigative Reporters & Editors’ training team, with bootcamps, conferences and travel already under their belts. Even after the sudden passing of executive director Diana Fuentes, the trainers are committed to continuing her important work and teaching journalists all across the country that they too can do rigorous accountability focused journalism — on any beat, and in any newsroom. 

The late Fuentes kicked off the organization’s training tour this year at the Brechner Freedom of Information Project’s Sunshine Fest in Washington, D.C.

“It was only fitting that Diana lead the way with our first appearance as she always set the pace for getting out there in the broader journalism community to spread the good word about journalism and open records,” said Francisco Vara-Orta, interim deputy executive director. “One of our most cherished memories will be that of Diana’s last photo before she passed posing with her ‘FOIA hero,’ 86-year-old Elouise McDaniel, who is still filing public records requests despite intimidation from elected officials.

We’re always adding more training to our calendar, so follow us on social media or subscribe to the Quick Hits newsletter to stay up to date on when and where you can find an IRE training or staff appearance near you.  Here’s where else IRE will be throughout 2026 as of this spring.

Atlanta

National Association of Black Journalists | August 12-16, 2026 

Fresh off its 50th year, The National Association of Black Journalists is hosting its annual conference and career fair. IRE Training Director Benét J. Wilson will do a solo presentation on ethical uses of AI and will be on an Investigative Task Force panel, Investigative Reporting in the Age of AI.

Austin, TX

International Symposium on Online Journalism/Ibero-American Colloquium on Digital Journalism | Sept. 17-18, 2026   

For the first time in its 27-year history, ISOJ will be held in the fall, at the University of Texas at Austin. ISOJ is an initiative of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. Immediately following ISOJ, the 19th Iberoamerican Colloquium on Journalism, conducted in Spanish, will take place. Our interim executive director Lauren Grandestaff plans to be on site to meet and greet and soak up sessions for our future programming.

Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas  Sept. 18, 2026

Every year, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas (FOIFT) hosts its premier gathering — the Bernard and Audre Rapoport Annual Conference. Known for its dynamic, all-star panels and a keynote luncheon, the conference draws a diverse crowd of journalists, government leaders, attorneys and engaged citizens discussing the most pressing and timely issues surrounding transparency and free speech. This year’s conference will also include a special tribute to the late Diana Fuentes, former executive director of IRE — who also served as a longtime member and past president of FOIFT’s board of directors. IRE Board President Josh Hinkle will be presenting a session. 

Baltimore, MD

Hacks/Hackers AI x Journalism Summit 2026 | May 12-14, 2026             

The Hacks/Hackers AI x Journalism Summit is returning to Baltimore after the success of its first event last year to continue discussing AI’s societal impact and how to apply the new tools and practices to journalism. IRE Training Director Laura Moscoso will attend the conference as part of the team’s effort to expand its AI curriculum.

Education Writers Association | June 2-5, 2026      

At its upcoming 79th national seminar, the Education Writers Association will gather education journalists and communicators amid “seismic” changes to education at the federal level, alongside ongoing challenges faced by students, educators and schools. IRE Training Director Benét J. Wilson will do a solo presentation, Quick-hit investigations: 20 Datasets, 20 stories. She will also be on a panel covering how to become an independent journalist.

Chicago, IL 

Society of Environmental Journalists | April 15-18, 2026  

IRE will be teaching an “everyday watchdog” session at SEJ’s upcoming 35th anniversary conference, which is being held at the University of Illinois Chicago, its first-ever gathering in the Windy City. The SEJ conference will explore “how climate, water, energy, food, agriculture and health intersect — and how journalists can illuminate the systems that sustain life on our planet.”      

Columbia, MO

Campus Coverage: Watchdog Reporting for Student Journalists | May 1, 2026 

This day-long workshop will help student journalists learn how to cover their institutions with more depth and provide them with the skills and tools to protect their rights as journalists to keep their communities informed.

IRE Data Journalism Bootcamp | Aug. 3-7

Our weeklong crash course in data journalism will include an introduction to the Python programming language.

Columbus, OH

Society of Professional Journalists | October 1-4, 2026              

This year’s SPJ conference will be at the Hilton Columbus Downtown and early-bird registration is open. An IRE representative will be on site with plans to train on one of our most popular sessions to be determined.

Minneapolis, MN

Association of Health Care Journalists | May 27-30, 2026      

The Association of Health Care Journalists and the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism will be hosting their annual conference in the City of Lakes, where IRE Director of Technology Cody Winchester will lead a data journalism workshop. This year’s conference begins a day earlier on a Wednesday, and ends on Saturday afternoon.

SRCCON | July 8-9, 2026         

SRCCON returns to Minneapolis at the McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota. This hands-on conference brings together designers, developers, data analysts, editors, and other journalists to discuss the challenges data and news teams face in journalism. Our interim executive director Lauren Grandestaff plans to be on site to make connections and soak up lessons to inspire our programming to be more inclusive. 

Associated Collegiate Press – College Media Mega Workshop | July 23-25, 2026         

At its annual College Media Mega Workshop this summer, the Associated Collegiate Press will convene for three days under the theme “In Minneapolis: Where the First Amendment is Alive.” IRE Director of Technology Cody Winchester is planning the Advanced Reporting track for student attendees.

National Harbor, MD

IRE Conference | June 18-21, 2026

This is IRE’s biggest conference of the year, with timely training sessions on investigative techniques and data skills.

Registration is open to IRE members (journalists, educators and students). The early-bird deadline is May 4, 2026. New this year: The IRE Board has instituted a two-tier fee structure for the conference: all-access registration, which includes a ticket to the IRE Awards luncheon, or basic registration, which does not. Not an IRE member yet? Learn more about member benefits and join today.

National Summit on Local News Preservation | June 17, 2026                                   

In conjunction with IRE’s national conference in Washington, D.C., the Internet Archive, the Poynter Institute, and IRE will also host a national summit focused on solutions to address the urgent preservation challenges presented by the rapidly changing local news landscape. This event is part of Today’s News for Tomorrow, a program supported by Press Forward. Additional support for the Summit has been provided by the Society of American Archivists Foundation. 

New Orleans, LA

National Association of Hispanic Journalists | July 22-25, 2026                           

At the National Association of HIspanic Journalists conference in New Orleans, IRE Training Director and Managing Editor Adam Rhodes will present a half-day workshop as well as a 90 minute session on data journalism basics.                                                 

The Society of American Archivists conference | July 30-August 1, 2026            

The Society of American Archivists will meet for its 90th annual meeting this year. IRE Training Director Laura Moscoso will participate in a session with The Internet Archive and the Poynter Institute to present Today’s News for Tomorrow. 

Palm Springs, CA

AAN  (formerly the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies) | July 9-10, 2026        

At the upcoming AAN conference in Palm Springs, IRE Training Director and Managing Editor Adam Rhodes will present a session on putting together quick-hit investigations. AAN focuses on local independent media and represents more than 120 news media organizations throughout North America.

Philadelphia, PA

NABJ Region 1 Conference | May 1-2, 2026

IRE Training Director Laura Kurtzberg will co-present a workshop session with Duy Nguyen, Senior Engineer & Scientist, A.I. Initiatives at the New York Times, on AI tools for newsrooms. The workshop is titled “AI-Palooza: How journalists and communicators can use AI ethically”.

SABEW – The Association of Business Journalists | May 7-9, 2026    

At the upcoming annual SABEW conference, IRE Training Director Laura Kurtzberg will be teaching two classes: “investigating businesses and nonprofits” and “Verifying information online”. SABEW is aimed at helping journalists better cover business, finance and the economy.  

Portland, OR

Indigenous Journalists Association (formerly NAJA) | July 22-24, 2026 

The Indigenous Journalists Association is hosting their annual conference to support and enhance the knowledge and skills of journalists covering Indigenous communities. IRE Interim Deputy Executive Director Francisco Vara-Orta will be presenting a session on backgrounding sources.

San Antonio, TX

Press Forward San Antonio chapter summit | October 6, 2026

Local journalism is a vital community asset and IRE is proud to be part of a movement to strengthen it in partnership with Press Forward and the San Antonio Area Foundation. In partnership with Press Forward, this event will gather community members, funders, and local journalism leaders for a powerful summit focused on information gaps, challenges and the future of local news in South Central Texas. Interim Deputy Executive Director Francisco Vara-Orta will be on site to connect with area journalists and is on the local planning committee for the event.

San Francisco, CA 

NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists | Sept. 10-13, 2026              

NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists is hosting its annual national convention and IRE Training Director and Managing Editor Adam Rhodes will be presenting an investigative reporting bootcamp.         

Santa Monica, CA

Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) | October 2-4, 2026

JAWS will hold its 41st annual Conference and Mentoring Program aimed at supporting and bringing together women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming and agender journalists. IRE Interim Executive Director Lauren Grandestaff will be in attendance.

Virtual training opportunities

Engage2026 (Centre for Anthropology & Journalism) | August 18-19, 2026

​​This summer, The Centre for Anthropology and Journalism will be hosting a virtual event, Engage2026, it calls “first engagement journalism conference of its kind.” Focused on all things engagement under the theme of caretaking, the event will continue CAJ’s mission to support collaboration between anthropologists and journalists to advance ethical, community-rooted storytelling. . IRE Training Director Benét J. Wilson will be present.

AccessFest | October 8-10, 2026

This is IRE’s all-virtual conference, which offers the best programming from our in-person IRE and NICAR conferences, as well as sessions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in the newsroom and in news coverage. More information to come soon.

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