IRE Journal
Staying on the story: Investigations unfold on Baltimore bridge collapse
By Richard Martin, The Baltimore Banner On March 26, 2024, the cargo ship Dali lost power while leaving the Port of Baltimore and slammed into a critical support pier of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. It was 1:24 a.m., and within seconds the bridge crumpled into the cold Patapsco River, sending six construction workers working…
Read MoreThe 2024 IRE Award Winners Spill Their Secrets
The incredible work done by the winners of of the 2024 IRE Awards has changed and saved lives. These spectacular journalists have crossed borders, built databases, dug through thousands of pages of confidential records, and risked their own safety to reveal wrongdoing from incredibly powerful people. And in a time when those powerful people increasingly…
Read MoreHonoring longtime IRE member and mentor Susan Carroll
Honoring longtime IRE member and mentor Susan Carroll By Lise Olsen, The Texas Observer As a monster storm approached in August 2017, my friend Susan Carroll arranged for others to care for her young children in order to camp out in the Houston Chronicle newsroom along busy Loop 610. She stayed there awaiting the arrival…
Read MoreRemembering Paul Williams
By Doug Meigs In towering all-caps, a 1972 Omaha Sun headline proclaimed: “BOYS TOWN: AMERICA’S WEALTHIEST CITY?” followed by a biblical quote: “‘Give an account of thy stewardship…’ (Luke, 16)” So began an eight-page broadsheet investigation into the murky finances of Boys Town, an esteemed charitable institution that Father Edward J. Flanagan (now on the…
Read MoreThe rise, fall and (possible) resurgence of FOIA audits
The rise, fall and (possible) resurgence of FOIA audits By Jordan P. Hickey, independent journalist On Aug. 23, 1999, just after 8 a.m., regional supervisors for the Arkansas Health Department started getting phone calls from county health officials. Not exactly the most breaking news of the day, but what set those calls apart was…
Read MoreCapturing global investigative journalism’s oral history
By Silas Tsang, WTOL-TV There is a new effort to document the oral history of investigative journalism around the world. It’s the brainchild of investigative reporter Adiel Kaplan at Columbia Journalism School. The goal of her project is to preserve key perspectives on how the methods and tools of accountability reporting spread globally since the…
Read MoreIRE partnership receives Press Forward funding to train local newsrooms
Investigative Reporters and Editors will be working with Internet Archive and Poynter Institute on a program to archive and preserve local news, thanks to funding from Press Forward, a national initiative to reimagine local news.
Read MoreDespite attacks, industry turmoil, journalists declare: We are staying
By IRE staff Editor’s note: Legendary journalist James B. Steele was one of the first to join IRE after it started in 1975 and has stayed active throughout the years in the organization, serving as a mentor for countless young journalists and participating in dozens of conference sessions, among other roles. A former contributing editor at…
Read MoreReporting on an American health crisis
By Nakylah Carter, IRE & NICAR When investigating topics with large data sets, reporters have to become creative and proactive in order to include all the crucial information to make the story pop. In this edition of Data Dive in The IRE Journal, we feature two investigative data pieces about the American health crisis. In…
Read More5 essential data journalism guides from Ben Welsh’s palewire
By Nakylah Carter, IRE & NICAR This edition of “Show Your Work” compiles five essential data journalism resources from Ben Welsh’s website, palewire. Welsh, a longtime IRE member, frequently speaks at IRE and NICAR conferences. His website offers transparent guidance for others to build their data journalism skills, while also providing tips and tricks for…
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