Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. (IRE) is a
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
that focuses on improving the quality of journalism, in particular
investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...
.
Formed in 1975,
it presents the IRE Awards and holds conferences and training classes for journalists. Its headquarters is in
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It is the county seat of Boone County and home to the University of Missouri. Founded in 1821, it is the principal city of the five-county Columbia metropolitan area. It is Missouri's fourth ...
, at the
University of Missouri School of Journalism
The Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia is one of the oldest formal journalism schools in the world. The school provides academic education and practical training in all areas of journalism and strategic comm ...
. It is the largest and oldest association of investigative journalism.
Programs of IRE include the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, which aims to foster excellence in
data journalism
Data journalism or data-driven journalism (DDJ) is a journalistic process based on analyzing and filtering large data sets for the purpose of creating or elevating a news story.
Data journalism is a type of journalism reflecting the increased ...
.
History
Beginnings
After the
resignation by President Nixon, eleven journalists met in
Reston,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
.
These journalists hoped, after they conducted poor investigative journalism in during the 1960s and 1970s, to create a national association that could help journalists to produce best practices in the craft. It was in that meeting that Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. was founded. A grant of $3,100 from the
Lilly Endowment of Indianapolis paid the expenses for the meeting.
During debate over what to call the organization, Les Whitten, one of the journalists attending the meeting, pointed out that a defining characteristic of investigative journalists was a sense of outrage. Someone in the meeting grabbed a dictionary to find synonyms of “out-rage” and came up with “ire,” which would work as an acronym for "Investigative Reporters and Editors Group".
The meeting also debated who should and should not be allowed in the upcoming organization. Some of the journalists gathered suggested restricted membership to add prestige to the organization, while others suggested a more open organization to investigative journalists and editors, so even inexperienced journalists could get help from IRE. In the end, the journalists decided for openness. Later in March 1975, writing in a trade magazine to publicize the new organization, Harley Bierce of the
''Indianapolis Star'' emphasized that the organization would provide services to any reporter needing assistance on an investigative story. “We want to stress that this won’t bean exclusive organization,” he wrote. “Good reporters naturally fall into this classification
f investigative reporter"
First meeting
After the meeting, a steering committee was created, charged in exploring interest in a national organization for investigative journalism, and to plan a national conference. An executive committee was also formed, composed of Robert Peirce, Ronald Koziol, Paul Williams,
Myrta Pulliam
Myrta Jane Pulliam (born June 20, 1947) is an American journalist.
Biography
Pulliam was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the granddaughter of Eugene C. Pulliam, the former publisher of ''The Indianapolis Star'', and the daughter of Eugene S ...
, Harley Bierce, Edward O. DeLaney, and Robert Friedly.
IRE was in a delicate position to ask for funds and grants, since a journalist also investigate foundations, even though IRE accepted the
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and among the largest endowments in the United States. It was founded in 1937 by Josiah K. (J. K.) Lilly Sr. and his so ...
, created by the founders of
Eli Lilly and Company
Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by, and named after, Colonel ...
, a pharmaceutical company. The initial gathering of funds, IRE hoped, would finance 250 journalists and editors to the first national conference of IRE. After a lot of successes and failures in seeking funds, IRE funds attained to more than USD 18,000, but far from the funds needed to financially support financially the journalists and editors of the first conference. The first national conference also had journalists criticizing IRE for taking grants from foundations such as Lilly, and from publications, because these publications were sometimes restricting funds to their own investigative journalists. Consequently, the members of IRE passed a resolution to take funds only from foundations that "which owe their existence to journalistic enterprise", and educational and research foundations.
The first national conference of IRE was held between June 18–20, 1976, in
Indianapolis
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...
. More than 300 people attended, including approximately 200 paying participants from 35 states, 30 speakers and 40 students. Workshop topics included the state of the art of investigative journalism, how to manage an investigation, how to work as a team, how to report specific topics such as crime, and how to deal with legal and ethical issues in investigative reporting. The members of IRE also voted to seek funds to establish a resource center at
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...
by July 1, 1977. Members also voted for a resolution that called for journalists, editors, and news agencies to end their associations with the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
(CIA), the
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
(FBI), or other law enforcement agencies to maintain "American journalistic independence". The members also voted to establish an ethics committee "responsible for raising in a continuing way the ethical questions which confront journalists" and to be "responsible for examining the assumptions that underlie" investigative journalism. The members also voted to establish a committee of broadcast journalists to advise the board of directors of IRE about problems specific to broadcast investigations.
The location of IRE's headquarters
Paul Williams' death in 1976 caused the first dilemma of IRE. Williams had connections to Ohio State University, being a professor there, and had established a working relationship between IRE and the university. The executive committee then decided to find another university for their resource center. In 1978, two proposals came to the IRE board of directors: one from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
, and one from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. Although the board initially favored Boston, University of Missouri School of Journalism Dean
Roy M. Fisher
Roy M. Fisher (September 5, 1918 – March 25, 1999) was a journalist and Editor-in-Chief of the ''Chicago Daily News''.
Fisher was born in Stockton, Kansas. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from Kansas State University in ...
stressed his school's tradition in journalism. The Missouri's proposal also offered free clipping services for IRE, pay the salaries of office staff members, and help IRE with fundraising. In the end, in June 1978, a meeting in
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
by the members of IRE decided unanimously for the University of Missouri.
IRE'S headquarters at Missouri School of Journalism
From 1976 and 1980, the resource center was established in the University of Missouri School of Journalism, hired a permanent staff, founded a publication (''IRE Journal''), held annual and regional conferences, setup an annual awards program, and adopted a definition of investigative journalism.
Arizona Project
In 1976, one of the members,
Don Bolles
Donald Fifield Bolles (July 10, 1928 – June 13, 1976) was an American investigative reporter for ''The Arizona Republic'' who was known for his coverage of organized crime in the area, especially by the Chicago Outfit. His murder in a car bom ...
of the
''Arizona Republic'' was murdered by a bomb explosion beneath his car. Led by ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'' journalist
Robert W. Greene,
the Arizona Project
The Arizona Project is the first large-scale implementation of collaborative journalism, triggered predominately by the murder of ''Arizona Republic'' reporter Don Bolles and with the support of the newly established nonprofit organisation Invest ...
team consisted of 38 journalists from 28 newspapers and television stations. They went to
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...
to produce a 23-part series in 1977 exposing widespread corruption in the state.
NICAR (National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting)
The NICAR project was founded in 1989, with the aim of assisting journalists with data journalism.
See also
*
Global Investigative Journalism Network
The Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN) is "an international association of nonprofit organizations that support, promote and produce investigative journalism." The association is headquartered in the United States, and its membership i ...
, which IRE is a part of
*
Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism
Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo ( ''Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism''; abbreviated as ABRAJI) is an organization for Brazilian Journalists wanting to exchange information, experiences, and tips about investiga ...
(ABRAJI)
*
Center for Investigative Reporting (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
The Center for Investigative Reporting/Centar za istraživačko novinarstvo (CIN) is a non-profit investigative center that investigates corruption, organized crime and other system irregularities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is based in Sarajevo ...
*
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) is a non-profit media organization specializing in investigative journalism. It is based in Quezon City, Philippines. Established in 1989 by nine Filipino journalists, the organization fu ...
References
External links
*
IRE history
{{Authority control
American journalism awards
Investigative journalism
1975 establishments in Missouri
American journalism organizations
Organizations established in 1975