If you fill out the "Forgot Password" form but don't get an email to reset your password within 5-10 minutes, please email logistics@ire.org for assistance.
(April 2, 2025) – At Investigative Reporters and Editors, we are committed to making our conferences affordable. Below, you'll find lots of resources to help make IRE25 budget-friendly.
Conference registration
IRE is proud that while we offer the industry’s best training, we also charge less for registration than most other journalism conferences. You can secure the lowest rate by registering before Monday, April 28 (our early-bird deadline): $100 for students and $375 for most professionals. This year, the cost is just $299 for early-career members, and members who are freelancing or currently unemployed, and only $199 for the first 100 people in the groups who register before the early-bird deadline. Slots are going fast, so act quickly. Pro tip: You can ask your employer or school to foot the bill. Often they will. Register here.
Getting to New Orleans
Three airlines are offering discounts to travelers going to IRE25: Delta, United and Southwest. Typically, these discounts are 5%-10% — not a lot, but enough to make a difference. You can book through links on the IRE Website here. If you live in the South, you can save money by taking a bus or a train. Amtrak has trains from Texas, Atlanta or Memphis for as little as $75.
Ground transportation
IRE is working on arranging discounts for transportation to/from the airport. Details will be posted soon on the IRE Website here. There is a bus that goes to the conference hotel for $1.50, but it can take up to two hours. A taxi will cost a $36 flat rate. To reduce the expense, IRE can help you connect with others arriving and departing around the same time. Find a ride-sharing buddy here. The conference hotel is downtown, and you can travel the area via a streetcar that costs $1.25.
Lodging
This year, the conference hotel rate is reasonable — $199 a night, tied for the lowest since 2018. It’s available until May 27, or until the block is full (whichever occurs first). Many people find it is enormously valuable to stay at the conference hotel, close to the action. Attendees sometimes share rooms to cut costs. IRE can help you find a roommate. Sign up here. For even more cost-saving tips for your stay in The Big Easy, check out Samantha Sunne's advice below.
Cheap eats
The conference will offer several chances for free food: the opening reception on Thursday night (which will be big because it’s the organization’s 50th anniversary), the mentorship breakfast on Friday morning (sign up by June 1) and the awards luncheon on Saturday. Savvy attendees on a budget also can usually find their way to free food at receptions on most of the other nights. Locals also recommend several iconic spots for cheap and delicious food near the hotel, including Killer Poboys on Dauphine Street and Central Grocery on Decatur Street.
Additional details
Here is a full local guide to visiting New Orleans on a budget, from longtime IRE Member Samantha Sunne, a freelance journalist based in the city:
Welcome to New Orleans! Luckily, it's a place that’s easy to feast for eyes, ears and stomach. The 2025 IRE conference is on Canal Street - a boulevard that is picturesque and historic enough to be famous in its own right. In addition to wandering the historic streets, bars and shops, this guide will offer some free, or at least very cheap, activities as well as travel costs.
There are plenty of spots to hear live, local music for free, plus plenty more where you can pay or tip the musicians. Within the limits of the French Quarter, check out Royal Street for street musicians and shops; Decatur for buskers and bars. Bourbon Street is, of course, world-famous for some things, but live music is not its biggest draw.
Frenchmen Street, a little over a mile away on the other side of the Quarter, clusters half a dozen music venues within a few blocks, all playing multiple shows a night. It's also a good spot for late night eats, like hot dogs, fried chicken and tater tots loaded with meat and hot sauce.
The streetcar costs a whopping $1.25 and can take you as far as beautiful Audubon Park. It doesn't go to Frenchmen, but it can take you uptown - the other way. The ride alone can be a treat, as it traverses historic St. Charles Avenue, famous for large mansions. (But beware - transit here isn't known for being punctual, and a trip across the city can take an hour plus each way.)
If you want to stay within walking distance, the city also has plenty to offer in terms of history and cultural learning. The Historic New Orleans Collection is a free, publicly funded museum smack dab in the middle of the Quarter. It's a fantastic entry point to New Orleans and Louisiana culture, including food, history, and culture, as well as current pressing topics like climate change.
The Cabildo and the Presbytere are state-funded museums bookending the famous St. Louis Cathedral, a focal point of the Quarter itself. Unlike the Historic New Orleans Collection, these museums are not free ($11 for adults), but they do offer detailed looks inside of New Orleans cultural touchpoints, like the joys of Mardi Gras, the struggles of Hurricane Katrina and the achievements of the civil rights movement.
Another upside to the Crescent City, especially around the downtown area, is that hotels are plentiful and typically affordable compared to other cities. Booking.com shows dozens of hotels for $150 or less per night, all within a few blocks of the French Quarter neighborhood. While $150 isn't exactly the cheapest you can possibly stay anywhere, it does give you a ton of options in a dense geographic space.
If $150 is still too steep, there are hostels to choose from, where you can share a bedroom and bathroom with other budgeted, intrepid (and usually young) travellers. Hostelling International, or HI, is a globally known hostel chain located right on Canal Street. If you want a place to sleep without added amenities like your own coffeemaker, a private room in a hostel can be a good choice for about $100 flat. There are other hostels, like the trendy India House, that are farther away but accessible via (slow) public transit.
The next necessary trip expense might be food. Luckily, not only does New Orleans have several cheap lunch options - some of them were invented here.
Beignets - square, powdered, delicious donuts - are famous and work perfectly fine as a breakfast. The famous Cafe du Monde isn't quite as cheap as it used to be - an order of beignets and coffee will run you about $10. They're no longer open 24 hours, either, but the cafe is still a scenic, enormously popular spot overlooking Jackson Square. If du Monde is too crowded, Cafe Beignet is a good second choice. The Royal Street outpost is the most scenic of its several locations.
Poboys - filling, stuffed sandwiches on french bread - have been a mainstay for many years, and are still an easy go-to lunch. Killer Poboys on Dauphine Street is especially popular among locals, but many po boy shops in the FQ will work. If you want a sammie you can't get in many other sandwich shops around the U.S., give a shrimp or oyster a try.
Speaking of sandwiches, the muffuletta is another New Orleans invention—this time thanks to its Italian community. Central Grocery on Decatur Street, near the river, claims to have had and still sells the very first one. The muffuletta is a very large sesame bun stuffed with cheese, salami, and olives. If the menu offers it by the half or quarter, don't worry—that's a lot!
At Napoleon House on Chartres Street, you can find muffulettas and staples like jambalaya, gumbo, red beans, and boudin sausage. Napoleon House is a full-service restaurant, so it's not quite as cheap as some grab-and-go spots, but you can still get in and out for under $20 per person.
This list was compiled with the help of the Affordability Task Force and will be updated with more budget-friendly tips as we have them. If you have advice of your own, share it with us by emailing conference@ire.org.
Sign-ups are now open for the mentorship networking program at IRE25 in New Orleans!
If you're joining us for the conference, you can sign up by filling out this form.
IRE will match mentors with mentees and arrange for them to meet at the mentorship breakfast Friday, June 20 at 8 a.m. at the conference hotel.
Space is limited in this popular program, and the deadline to apply is June 1, midnight CT. If the slots are filled before then, your application will be added to a waitlist. Please also note that you must register for the conference by June 2 to participate.
If you can’t make it to New Orleans this year but still want to find a mentor, please check out the IRE page at JournalismMentors.com, where you can set up a time to meet virtually with an IRE member mentor.
Want to make the most of the experience (as a mentor or mentee)? Check out resources on IRE's mentorship program page .
(Jan. 31, 2025) — The year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of Investigative Reporters and Editors, when a group of intrepid journalists from across the country gathered to create a unique nonprofit organization dedicated to investigative journalism.
To celebrate the milestone, IRE is planning a series of events and special deals, including a bargain membership rate for retired journalists.
For those who have retired from journalism and are no longer working full time, a one-year membership will be $50 instead of $75 during 2025. That's joining as a new member or renewing!
"As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, we are delighted to offer a special membership deal to retired journalists," said Brian M. Rosenthal, president of the IRE Board of Directors. "IRE was built by a courageous group of journalists who continue to inspire us to this day, and we cannot wait to honor them this year."
The idea for the $50 during the 50th came from the Retention and Recruitment Subcommittee of the Member Services Committee, chaired by IRE Board Vice President Josh Hinkle.
Rosenthal and Hinkle said the special rate is yet another way IRE is keeping affordability a priority.
"We want to encourage retired journalists to join IRE or renew their membership to help them keep in touch with the industry," Hinkle said. "They can share their expertise with other journalists in our mentor programs, stay connected with other members through meetups and other networking opportunities and continue to take advantage of our wealth of resources."
Several members of the original Board of Directors are still active in IRE today, including Len Downie Jr. and Myrta Pulliam.
IRE has something for all journalists, from students to veterans. Members have access to exclusive benefits, including free or discount premium tools and thousands of tip sheets. Join today!
(Dec. 4, 2024) — IRE is now accepting applications for the NICAR25 mentorship program!
Our annual data journalism conference is taking place March 6-9, 2025 in Minneapolis. If you're joining us for the conference and are hoping to get (or give) one-on-one guidance, you can sign up for the mentorship program by filling out this form. Can't make it to NICAR? Look for or become a mentor through IRE's partnership with JournalismMentors.org.
IRE will match mentors with mentees and arrange for them to meet at a breakfast during the conference. The NICAR25 mentorship breakfast will be on Friday, March 7, from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m.
This is a popular program and space is limited, so be sure to apply now! The deadline to apply is Friday, Feb. 7. If the slots are filled before then, your application will be added to a waitlist. Please also note that you must register for the conference by Monday, Feb. 10, to participate.
IRE is looking for a passionate, high-energy individual who enjoys working with others to join our training team, dedicated to fulfilling our core mission of helping journalists improve their investigative and data skills.
Trainers organize and conduct both in-person and online training in programs such as data journalism bootcamps, online mini bootcamps, customized newsroom training, and regional workshops. The trainer will also help plan and execute our in-person and virtual national conferences and develop clear and useful training materials in investigative and data journalism. The trainer also has the opportunity to create new curricula to meet changing industry needs.
IRE seeks someone with:
IRE offers:
Location: Remote, with convenient access to an airport
Salary Range: $68,000-$74,000, depending on experience
Apply by August 23, 2024, here.
Benefit Eligibility
This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, paid time off, short- and long-term disability, paid parental leave, paid caregiver leave, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/totalrewards/benefits.
Values Commitment
We value the uniqueness of every individual and strive to ensure each person’s success. Contributions from individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives promote intellectual pluralism and enable us to achieve the excellence that we seek in learning, research and engagement. This commitment makes our university a better place to work, learn and innovate. In your application materials, please discuss your experiences and expertise that support these values and enrich our missions of teaching, research, and engagement.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The University of Missouri System is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy applies to all employment decisions including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, training, promotions, pay practices, benefits, disciplinary actions and terminations. For more information, visit https://www.umsystem.edu/ums/hr/eeo or call the Director of Employee and Labor Relations at 573-882-2146.
To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.
If you have questions, please contact IRE Director of Content Lauren Grandestaff by email (lauren@ire.org).
Have you always wanted to know more about how IRE works — and how you can help? Now is your chance.
IRE is seeking volunteers for its committees, which work on a wide range of important tasks, from recommending speakers for conferences and brainstorming ways to better serve members to increasing diversity in the organization and improving the website.
To serve, you just need to be a member of IRE and have a passion for helping your colleagues.
If you're interested, please fill out this Google form by Friday, July 19.
The IRE Board is making it a priority to bring in new voices and new perspectives. One of the best ways to ensure your voice is heard is to serve on a committee, where the decision-making process begins. We need you!
Committee descriptions are below. Typically, the President appoints the committee chair, and the chair works with the president to select the committee members, with input from the executive director. Appointees serve for one year.
If you'd like more information, we'll be hosting an informal Q&A at our monthly Board Office Hours on Tuesday, July 16, at 12 p.m. Eastern Time. It's free; you just need to register here in advance to join the Q&A webinar.
If you have questions, please contact IRE President Brian M. Rosenthal at president@ire.org
IRE Committees for 2024-25
IRE Task Forces for 2024-25
In addition to the nine standing committees, there will be three active task forces. These groups are temporary and exist for specific purposes:
IRE Executive Director Diana Fuentes and IRE Board President Brian M. Rosenthal will lead the annual membership meeting for all IRE members in Marquis Center at the Anaheim Marriott on Saturday, June 22, at 5:30 p.m. PDT. As part of the meeting, there will be votes on several proposed amendments to the IRE Articles of Incorporation.
These six proposed amendments, which are summarized directly below and listed in full at the end of this post, are designed to make IRE more inclusive, more accessible and more relevant, particularly amid industry upheaval:
The IRE Board has unanimously approved all of these amendments. In order to be enacted, they must also be approved by 2/3 of IRE Members present at a membership meeting.
In-person voting will initially be conducted by a show of hands; if it is unclear whether a proposal passes or fails, paper ballots will be used. In addition, for the first time, members who cannot attend in-person may register to attend and vote virtually using an online poll. Only eligible professional, academic, retiree and student members may vote.
If you have any questions, or if you would like to share feedback before the meeting, please contact the IRE Board at board@ire.org.
Here are the proposed amendments, in full:
Sign-ups are closed for the mentorship networking program at IRE24 in Anaheim!
If you’ll be joining us for the conference, you can sign up by filling out this form. If you can’t make it to Anaheim this year but still want to find a mentor, please check out the IRE page at JournalismMentors.com, where you can set up a time to meet virtually with an IRE member mentor.
IRE will match mentors with mentees and arrange for them to meet at a breakfast during the conference. The IRE24 mentorship breakfast will be held from 7:30 - 8:45 a.m. on Friday, June 21, at the conference hotel.
Space is limited in this popular program, and the deadline to apply is midnight CT on Sunday, June 2. If the slots are filled before then, your application will be added to a waitlist.
Please also note that you must register for the conference by June 3 to participate.
The Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) and Investigative Reporters and Editors are collaborating on a webinar series that combines the organizations’ expertise in health reporting and data and investigative journalism.
"Follow the Money: The Business of Health Care" is an in-depth, hands-on webinar series that will equip journalists with the tools they need to tell the story of the big business of health care. The series is free for all journalists, thanks to the generous support of the NIHCM Foundation.
"For the first time in the history of our two organizations, IRE and AHJC are working together to help journalists across the country better cover this critical issue," said IRE Executive Director Diana Fuentes. "Collaboration is essential in today’s journalism world. Together, IRE and AHCJ will provide journalists with tools they need to reach their local communities."
In March, the first of four webinars will explore where to find financial data for hospitals and other health care businesses. The following webinars will explore how to investigate health care pricing and medical debt, and the nuances of private health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid.
"We're thrilled to partner with IRE on this comprehensive webinar series that will benefit journalists looking to dig into the money side of health care," said AHCJ Executive Director Kelsey Ryan. "By bringing together our joint expertise, we’re certain journalists will take away valuable tips and story ideas they can use right away."
Mark your calendars for the first webinar of the series, "Using HospitalFinances.org and other tools to tell money stories," 1-2 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 27. The session will be led by longtime AHCJ member Karl Stark, Director of Content/Editor in Residence at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Register here!
Looking ahead, the free webinar series continues throughout the coming months, with more details and registration coming soon:
Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc. is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting. IRE was formed to create a forum in which journalists throughout the world could help each other by sharing story ideas, newsgathering techniques and news sources. IRE provides members access to thousands of reporting tipsheets and other materials through its Resource Center and hosts conferences and specialized training across the country.
The Association of Health Care Journalists is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues. With about 1,500 members across the U.S. and around the globe, its mission is to improve the quality, accuracy and visibility of health care reporting, writing and editing. The association and its sister organization, the Center for Excellence in Health Care Journalism provide training, resources and support for journalists, including health journalism fellowships, webinars, networking and conferences.
The IRE Board of Directors will consider changes to the organization’s Code of Bylaws relating to the executive committee election procedures at its next meeting at 10 a.m. ET on February 23, 2024, which will be held virtually.
Section 6.03. Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Board of Directors for the election of officers, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting, shall be held either conjointly with, or immediately after adjournment of, the annual meeting of the Members of the Corporation, when the latter is held as specified in Section 5.04 of the Bylaws. No notice shall be necessary for the holding of the annual meeting of the Board of Directors. If the annual meeting is not held as above provided, the election of officers may be held at any subsequent meeting of the Board as adjourned or specially called. (Amendment adopted 2/13/81.)
Section 7.01. Number, Qualification, and Term. Beginning with the officers elected at the June 2006 meeting of the Board of Directors of the Corporation, the executive committee of the Board of directors shall consist of five Directors, including the president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary. The remaining member of the Executive Committee shall be a director elected by a majority vote of the Board. The president shall be chairman of the Executive Committee. The members of the Executive Committee shall hold office until the next annual meeting of the Board of Directors of the Corporation successors are elected. The immediate past president – to the extent possible – shall serve in an advisory role to the board. (Amendment adopted 2/13/81; a second amendment adopted 9/9/04.)
As prescribed in the bylaws, IRE members will have at least 30 days before the meeting to submit comments about the proposed change. Any comments or questions may be submitted via board@ire.org. Please submit your feedback by February 21.
Looks like you haven't made a choice yet.
