Sign up for an IRE Committee today!

Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE) is seeking volunteers to serve on several committees. These groups offer ideas and help us improve member services and governance, expand IRE’s reach and fundraising, plan training events and conferences, organize regional meetups and much more.

“The IRE Board is making it a priority to bring in new voices and new perspectives,” said IRE Board President Josh Hinkle. “If you want to help shape IRE's future, serving on a committee is a great place to start.”

Members across all categories, of all experience levels, are welcome to sign up. You just need to have a passion for helping your colleagues! Most appointees serve for one year.

If you’re interested, please fill out this Google form by Friday, July 24.

Some committees meet as frequently as every other month, while some have fewer meetings. Have questions about signing up? Reach out to president@ire.org.

IRE committees for 2026-2027

• Academic Committee: This committee focuses on supporting student journalists and academic members, and enhancing investigative journalism education. It continues launching student chapters, sharing resources and developing initiatives to elevate student work within IRE. The committee also updates an online resource page.
• Audit Committee: This committee historically has had one job: It reviews the annual audit completed by an external certified public accounting firm. But the committee also has the power to otherwise oversee other aspects of accountability of the organization. Early this year, it may have an added responsibility of evaluating the organization’s management.
• Conference Committee: This committee tackles conference-related issues, including the keynote, luncheon and showcase panels for IRE, NICAR and AccessFest, as well as advising other panels and specific tracks.
• Contest Committee: This committee judges the IRE Awards, makes recommendations for the rules for the awards and handles issues that arise with other contests, including the Golden Padlock, Don Bolles Medal and Philip Meyer Award, which are handled by separate groups. Unlike the others, this committee is appointed by the Executive Director, other than two committee members who are elected by the IRE membership. Committee members are not allowed to enter the IRE Awards or the other contests. This committee also oversees the award rescission process.
• Diversity & Inclusion Committee: This committee works on initiatives to improve diversity and inclusion among IRE and its members, including its newly-launched Managers of Color Cohort. This year, members may work on a task force surrounding race and culture.
• Finance Committee: This committee makes recommendations to the board on the budget and the endowment and reserve accounts. This is the only committee in which appointees serve for two years. Some members are appointed by the President, others by the Treasurer. This year, it may also have two related subcommittees: fundraising and affordability.
• Governance Committee: This committee scrutinizes IRE's organizational structure and makes proposals regarding various rules, policies and procedures. This year, it may also focus on strengthening, specifying and expanding IRE’s Code of Conduct, along with recommending updates to IRE’s privacy policy and the board’s policies and procedures manual.
• Member Services Committee: This committee spearheads initiatives to address IRE member recruitment and retention and improve benefits, resources and services for members. It has also helped organize local meetups and made recommendations for IRE’s mentorship programs. This year, its subcommittees will focus on international members, website improvement and recruiting and retaining members through drives and other initiatives.
• Press Freedom Committee: This committee works to explore how to protect an independent press and access to public data – through a variety of training resources, events and partnerships. It also makes recommendations on crafting or signing onto press freedom statements using a specific rubric. The committee also updates an online resource page.