Posts by adam@ire.org
‘The fox can’t guard the henhouse’ — how journalists shined a light on offices tasked with investigating wrongful convictions
By Willow Higgins and Ryan Kost, Columbia Journalism Investigations When we first learned about conviction integrity units, special programs in district attorneys’ offices meant to investigate claims of wrongful conviction, we found their very premise paradoxical. Could the same office that may have wrongfully convicted a person lead an unbiased reinvestigation of their own work?…
Read MoreAnnouncing the 2025 IRE Awards
Announcing the 2025 IRE Awards (May 5, 2026) – Congratulations to winners and finalists in the 2025 IRE Awards. The annual contest showcases exemplary work by members of Investigative Reporters and Editors from the past year. Awards will be presented at the 2026 IRE Conference in National Harbor on Friday, June 19, during the Awards…
Read MoreFOI Files: How student journalists helped shine a light on a university withholding important records
By Lauren Lifke My journey with public records started in 2023, when I was a student at the University of New Mexico just starting out as a reporter for our student newspaper, the Daily Lobo. I, like much of the student body, wondered why we frequently weren’t getting campus safety alerts until hours after the…
Read MoreWhat I learned from Diana R. Fuentes
What I learned from Diana R. Fuentes by Francisco Vara-Orta I never felt like I had enough time in DeeDee’s presence because I genuinely enjoyed being with her. Even though we lived in the same city, we didn’t see each other often since she was always on the go. And when we did, she was…
Read MoreIRE training coming to a city near you!
IRE training coming to a city near you! IRE’s late executive director standing next to her “FOIA hero” Elouise McDaniel, a retired school teacher who was sued over filing to many public records. The year is already off to a busy start for Investigative Reporters & Editors’ training team, with bootcamps, conferences and travel already…
Read MoreDeclare IRE Board candidacy by May 5
(April 6, 2026) — Would you like to help lead Investigative Reporters and Editors as a new member of the Board of Directors? Or help judge the IRE Awards as an elected member of the IRE Contest Committee? Now is your chance! Seven of 13 board seats are up for election in 2026, along with…
Read MoreWhat 700 Deaths Couldn’t Prove: Investigating Institutional Failure Without Intent
By NaBeela Washington On July 15, 2025, a lightbulb went off at an evening “unveiling.” I sat in a room full of residents and community organizers while Northwestern University researchers presented Chicago’s heat vulnerability index. Graphs flashed on the screen. Neighborhood-level data. Risk factors mapped to census tracts. The kind of granular information that could…
Read MoreIRE Board Appoints Interim Leadership, Announces Plans to Honor Diana Fuentes
Following the unexpected passing of Executive Director Diana R. Fuentes last week, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) is mourning the loss of a deeply respected leader whose impact on the organization and the field of investigative journalism will be felt for years to come. The IRE Board of Directors convened on Sunday to solidify next…
Read MoreUnmasking the tourism industry: A Puerto Rico case study
by Luis Joel Méndez González, Centro de Periodismo Investigativo You are drinking a piña colada under an umbrella. You can hear the waves, feel the heat of the sun and notice the texture of the sand beneath your feet. That is the idyllic scene many of us imagine when we think about the tourism industry.…
Read MoreIRE urges the release of Nashville reporter by federal immigration authorities
Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) urges the release of Estefany Rodríguez, a reporter with Nashville Noticias and Univision 42 Nashville, whose coverage has included immigration enforcement. She was taken into custody while in a marked news vehicle, according to Nashville Noticias. Rodríguez, who faced death threats in her home country of Colombia, applied for political…
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