It's once again time to enter the Philip Meyer Journalism Award contest. Entries are now being accepted online, through Nov. 16.

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 science tools in creative ways. Three awards are given annually:

• $500 for 1st place
• $300 for 2nd place
• $200 for 3rd place

Not sure what to enter? Watch award-winning data journalists Jennifer LaFleur, David Donald (deceased) and Tom Hargrove discuss best ...

Thanks to the generosity of the Park Foundation, IRE donors and the Ottaway Fund, IRE is fortunate to have funding available to provide scholarships to its three 2018 On-the-Road Boot Camps.

IRE awarded 10 scholarships to the October 2018 Python Boot Camp in Pittsburgh to the following:

• Emily Corwin, Vermont Public Radio
• Kristin Dalton, The Staten Island Advance
• Andrew Ford, The Asbury Park Press
• Beryl Lipton, MuckRock
• Sharon Lurye, Columbia University
• Jessica Matthews, The Times-Tribune (Scranton, PA)
• Casey McDermott, NHPR
• Liz Navratil, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
• Emily Previti, WITF
• Maria Zamudio, APM Reports

IRE awarded 10 scholarships to the October 2018 ...

A new yearlong IRE fellowship seeks to increase the range of backgrounds, experiences and interests within the field of investigative journalism, where diverse perspectives are critically important.

The IRE Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship is made possible thanks to generous donations from IRE members Mike Gruss, Meghan Hoyer, Megan Luther and Mike Tahani.

"We’re grateful to several IRE members who are passionate about making a tangible difference in the professional development of journalists of color," IRE Executive Director Doug Haddix said. "Their investment will enable a talented journalist to receive a full slate of IRE and NICAR training ...

Boost your investigative reporting skills this school year with this series of workshops at the Missouri School of Journalism. Investigative Reporters and Editors, a global membership non-profit based at the school, is organizing these sessions for students, faculty and staff.

Attendees will learn how they can improve their work, regardless of whether they aspire to become an investigative journalist. Sessions will run 70-90 minutes and be open to students of all levels. You do not need to be an IRE member, though you may not have access to all the resources on the IRE website.

Missouri School of Journalism students ...

Freelance Investigative Reporters and Editors (FIRE), a fiscally sponsored project of IRE, is pleased to announce the launch of FIRE Diversity Fellowships to promote investigative training for underrepresented reporters nationwide. Made possible with support from the Ford Foundation, the fellowships are available to journalists of color currently working as freelance investigative reporters, or planning to do so soon.

The FIRE Diversity Fellowship can be applied to IRE Watchdog Workshops and other IRE trainings in 2018. Watchdog Workshops cover a range of investigative topics, from use of public records, to interviewing and sourcing techniques.

The fellowship includes the following: 

• Complimentary registration ...

Our student sponsorship program is back for 2018! Last year, members sponsored nearly 130 memberships and donated hundreds of dollars to our student fund.

For just $25, you shared the spirit of IRE – encouraging journalists to grow through training and mentorship.

We ask for your support again this year as we aim to introduce more students to IRE. Please consider sponsoring a $25 student membership on behalf of your alma mater, college media or for an intern at your news organization. You don't have to know a student – we can help with that.

You can also make a donation ...

IRE is proud to announce its newest partnership: PacerMonitor. The agreement will provide IRE members free access to PacerMonitor’s advanced tools and extensive database of more than 3 million PACER documents.

PacerMonitor is a legal research tool created to help people follow federal court cases. Founded in 2011 by former corporate restructuring professional Joe Rosen, PacerMonitor has expanded from its initial focus on bankruptcy and now includes all federal courts, making it a useful tool for many reporters and editors.

The partnership provides IRE members a free one-year PacerMonitor Enterprise subscription, which includes full database access, advanced searching capabilities ...

Applications are now open for Total Newsroom Training — IRE’s grant-funded, customized training program that is returning for its sixth year.

IRE’s experienced trainers will visit selected newsrooms for two days of intense, in-house investigative training — at no cost. Spots in the program are limited and awarded on a competitive basis.

Total Newsroom Training is meant to help small to medium-size news organizations, and IRE customizes training based on the needs of the organization. These sessions can include web tools, background techniques and hands-on data training.

The program is designed to increase the ability of news organizations to provide ...

Thanks to the generosity of many, IRE is fortunate to have funding available to provide fellowships to its training events. These fellowships provide financial assistance to attend IRE boot camps. This month, IRE awarded six fellowships for the August 2018 CAR Boot Camp.

Ana Ley from The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), Sarah Rafique from KXAN-TV (Austin, Texas) and Francesca Fionda from The Discourse received Ottaway Fellowships.

Established by David Ottaway and the Ottaway Family Fund, the Fellowship is aimed at increasing the diversity of IRE's membership.

Valerie Gonzalez from KRGV-TV (Weslaco, Texas), Cathy Tatom from KPRC-TV (Houston, Texas) and Jill ...

**UPDATE (July 18, 2018)**

IRE is grateful for the overwhelming response. We received more than 370 offers to help the Capital Gazette put out its paper. At this point, the Baltimore Sun, which is coordinating the efforts, said that because of your generosity, they now have "more offers than we could possibly use." However, if you’d still like to help, you can go to this page and contribute to a fund for families and/or for memorial scholarships. 

Again, on behalf of the IRE board, a heartfelt thank you. You make us proud to be journalists.

— Cheryl W. Thompson ...