IRE awards more than 180 fellowships to #IRE20 virtual conference

October 1, 2020

Investigative Reporters and Editors awarded 189 fellowships to its first-ever virtual conference Sept. 21-25.

The fellowships included registration to the conference (a $175 value) and an IRE membership or membership renewal (a $70 value). Because the conference was online, IRE used funds that would have been used as a travel stipend for fellowship recipients to provide funds for more journalists to attend the online conference. 

In addition, the Knight Foundation supported some unused IRE grant money to be used for fellowships for journalists, students and educators of color to attend the #IRE20 virtual conference.

“We are thrilled we could help a record number of journalists through our conference fellowship program, including many who were attending their first IRE event,” said Denise Malan, IRE deputy executive director. “We appreciate our funders’ generosity and support to bring this valuable training and networking to more journalists than ever before.”

Of the fellowships awarded, 56 percent went to journalists, students and educators of color, and 48 percent of the fellowships were awarded to journalists who were not previously IRE members. 

Find information on all of IRE’s fellowships and scholarships here.