IRE’s AccessFest Conference returns online this October

(May 15, 2025) – Investigative Reporters and Editors’ premier investigative and data journalism training is just a few clicks away this fall, with a major gift to celebrate IRE’s 50th birthday! 

The 2025 AccessFest Conference will take place online Thursday, Oct. 9, through Saturday, Oct. 11. IRE is thrilled to announce registration will be $50 for all journalists and educators for a limited time.

After Sept. 8, registration will go up to $199. Students can register anytime for a flat rate of $50. IRE membership is required to attend the conference.

The super-duper discount rate was approved by the IRE Board of Directors last month, as another way to recognize IRE’s rich legacy of educating and empowering journalists since 1975.

“We’ve listened to our members over the years: traveling to a conference or taking an extended period of time off isn’t always feasible, especially as newsrooms face financial constraints, budget cuts, and backlash against inclusivity,” said Francisco Vara-Orta, IRE’s Director of Diversity and Inclusion. “We hope this special rate will help us provide training during a politically turbulent time when high-quality journalism is of the utmost importance.”

Each year, AccessFest seeks to foster important conversations around belonging, equity and inclusion in the journalism space – both within the newsroom and in news coverage. This IRE conference is virtual by design, created with the goal of expanding IRE training to journalists around the world in a more accessible and affordable format.

The conference will include sessions on reporting and writing skills, investigative techniques, public records, newsroom leadership, career advice, and more. Check out last year’s schedule for a glimpse of programming.

The keynote conversation is always a highlight at AccessFest, featuring intimate, in-depth conversations with journalists who set the gold standard for what belonging, equity and inclusion look like in journalism. This year, IRE is honored to announce that Sara Luterman of The 19th and Wendy Lu of The New York Times will join in conversation for the AccessFest keynote.

Luterman is the Disability and Aging Reporter at The 19th. She previously worked at WNYC’s Radiolab and has written for The Nation, The American Prospect and The Washington Post. In 2023, she was a Long Term Care Crisis Fellow at the National Press Foundation. Her reporting at The Nation has been previously shortlisted for the Deadline Club Mosaic Award, which recognizes excellence in “coverage of disability, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, social justice, equity and inclusion.”

Lu is a deputy editor on the Flexible Editing desk at The New York Times and a global speaker on disability representation in the media. She is also a board member for the National Center on Disability and Journalism. Her debut middle-grade novel, “Casting April,” about a talented disabled girl who will do anything for a chance at the spotlight, will be released next summer.

“As the umbrella expands in our minds on what DEI means to each of us, these conversations are pivotal to better serving our communities with all its vibrant intersectionality,” Vara-Orta said. “We look forward to our members hearing this powerful conversation built off of years of work by journalists with disabilities that came before us, remain among us and will make it better for generations of all of us to come.”

AccessFest is one of IRE’s three major conferences each year. The 2025 NICAR Conference took place in Minneapolis earlier this year. The 2025 IRE Conference will take place June 19-22 in New Orleans.

As IRE plans ahead for AccessFest, the team is seeking ideas and feedback for the conference. Please fill out this form by July 27 – no suggestion is too small.  

Registration for AccessFest is open now. IRE membership is open to journalists, educators and students. Learn more about member benefits and join today.