The early bird deadline for 
The 2025 Freelance Fellowship Recipients
By Steve Weinberg One of the most important individuals to IRE’s history never published an investigative project. Nor was she a newsroom editor, or a big-money donor. Jan Colbert died Nov. 5, 2016, after struggling for two decades with cancer. From 1983-1990, Jan served as IRE’s associate director, then briefly as executive director before shifting over…
Read MoreHow many people in the U.S. die of antibiotic-resistant infections? It seems like a simple question. But when a team of journalists from Reuters set out to gather the numbers, they realized that the answer would be anything but straightforward. They found out no one was properly keeping track of how many people die from…
Read MoreDoug Haddix Now that IRE’s new executive director Doug Haddix has been on the job for two weeks, we thought it was time to see what he has in store for the organization. Riley Beggin, a graduate student at the University of Missouri and IRE web contributor, sat down with Haddix to learn more about…
Read More.@markhorvit spreading the good news of Excel at #IJAsia16 pic.twitter.com/koPokVlwmm — Liz Lucas (@eklucas) September 23, 2016 As a reporter who covered multiple beats, from night cops to politics, IRE’s tip sheets were a great source of ideas and inspiration. As an editor, whether working the city desk or managing an investigative team, IRE’s conference…
Read MoreBy Martin Fackler Editor’s Note: This article first ran on October 25, 2016 on the Columbia Journalism Review’s website. It seemed like compelling journalism: a major investigative story published by The Asahi Shimbun, Japan’s second largest daily newspaper, about workers fleeing the Fukushima nuclear plant against orders. It was the work of a special investigative section that had…
Read MoreFrom the staff of the The Centre for Investigative Journalism: We are extremely sad to announce the death of Gavin MacFadyen, CIJ’s Founder, Director and its leading light. Gavin died of lung cancer surrounded by loved ones in London on Saturday 22nd Oct 2016. Over his lifetime Gavin was a fierce defender of justice and human…
Read MoreIt’s a paradox of modern journalism. For newsrooms struggling to stay afloat, an easy way to cut costs is to spend less on investigative reporting. Yet it’s often these watchdog stories that bring in (and keep) the biggest audience. Many newsrooms across the country are devoting more and more resources to investigations. But it’s not…
Read MoreIf you’ve ever been stopped by police, it’s likely an officer filled out something called a field contact report. Officials say the documents can be useful crime-solving tools, but they also have an unintended side effect: police now have massive digital databases tracking law-abiding citizens. On this episode, Glenn Smith and Andrew Knapp of The…
Read MoreBy Jackie Spinner, CJR Editor’s Note: This article first ran on October 6, 2016 on the Columbia Journalism Review’s website. After five mystifying (and let’s be honest, pretty wretched) years under the ownership of wannabe journalism mogul and investor Michael Ferro, the city’s No. 2 newspaper signaled a fresh start and a new direction late…
Read MoreIt’s once again time to enter the Philip Meyer Journalism Award contest. Entries are now being accepted online, through Nov. 18. Established in 2005, the award was created to honor Philip Meyer’s pioneering efforts to utilize social science research methods to foster better journalism. The contest recognizes stories that incorporate survey research, probabilities, and other social…
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