Alejandra Cancino
Statement
I’m an investigative journalist with strong roots in Chicago, where I’ve created and led programs to train young reporters, taught guest lectures at universities and worked at legacy and nonprofit newsrooms. I have a long track record of advocating for First Amendment rights, initially as a board member of the Chicago chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and, now, as an IRE Board Member.
Since being elected in 2024, I’ve assisted Kate Howard in her efforts to create IRE’s Press Freedom Committee, which continues to explore how to best protect and support our members at this moment of rising threats. We have strengthened IRE’s relationships with First Amendment groups, advocated for IRE’s role at this critical moment, and secured a partnership with DeleteMe, a service that works to remove personal data online. I’ve also co-chaired the board’s Member Services Committee, led meetups in Chicago and have been a mentor to emerging reporters.
I joined IRE in 2011 as a reporter on the business desk of the Chicago Tribune. My membership was free for a year, thanks to a scholarship I received to attend a week-long watchdog workshop. At the time, I was the youngest member of my team and also the lowest paid, which meant that without the scholarship I wouldn’t have been able to attend the training.
The workshop taught me the skills I needed to write a series of stories about a state tax-incentive program that promised lots of jobs but delivered few. Some of those stories landed on the front page of the paper and had an impact: a short-lived moratorium and an increase in the program’s transparency.
I went on to become an investigative reporter and editor at nonprofit newsrooms, which have become vital in preserving local investigative reporting. Now, with several long-form investigations under my belt, I continue to come back to IRE for training. Every time I’ve been ready for a new challenge, IRE has been there with workshops on interviewing techniques, data analysis and editing.
If re-elected to the IRE Board, I would continue to work on our Press Freedom efforts and strengthen our relationships with reporters outside the United States during my sabbatical in Spain. It’s my sincere belief that we have much to learn from journalists who have risked their lives to uncover truths around the world — many working in countries where asking questions could get them killed.
- Current position: On sabbatical in Spain
- Prior positions:
- Injustice Watch, Senior Reporter
- City Bureau, Deputy Editor
- Better Government Association (now Illinois Answers Project), Senior Investigative Reporter
- Chicago Tribune, Business Reporter
- IRE member since 2011
- NICAR Computer-Assisted Reporting Bootcamp Attendee
- I’ve been a panelist at numerous IRE and NICAR conferences and have been a mentor and mentee on IRE’s mentorship program.
- 2023/2024 Diversity and Inclusion Committee Member
- 2024/2025 Member Services Committee vice chair
- 2025/2026 Member Services Committee co-chair and member of the Executive Committee
- Key issues to address as a board member:
- Strengthening and expanding our press freedom efforts
- Building relationships with journalists outside the U.S.
- Diversity in the leadership ranks
- Links
Nominated by Ana Ley, The New York Times, IRE Board Secretary
I’m proud to nominate Alejandra Cancino to serve a second term on the IRE Board of Directors. For the past two years, Alejandra’s insight as a senior investigative reporter at Injustice Watch has guided the Board’s efforts to build a successful journalism nonprofit. She has helped champion one of IRE’s signature causes by expanding the organization’s defense of press freedom, and she has carried out one of the board’s most demanding assignments as co-chair of the Member Services Committee. This is a pivotal moment for IRE. Our community is reeling from the unexpected death of our executive director, Diana Fuentes, and it continues to be confronted by an exceedingly hostile media climate. As IRE forges a path forward, I find comfort knowing that Alejandra will continue to shepherd the organization with great wisdom, empathy and courage.
Second nomination by María Inés Zamudio, Investigative Reporter, Invisible Institute and ProPublica
I’m honored to nominate Alejandra Cancino as a candidate for the IRE Board. In Chicago, Alejandra’s leadership has helped us meet the moment. She has led efforts to create a local legal defense fund to support journalists, including immigrants. She is a thoughtful and dogged investigative reporter and a leader in Chicago’s innovative media landscape. Alejandra co-founded FOIA fest Bootcamp, an accountability journalism training for reporters from marginalized communities and has trained young journalists with City Bureau’s Civic Reporting Fellowship. We need Alejandra’s voice advocating for the protection of journalists.