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On Feb. 22, 1975, a group of intrepid journalists got together to discuss the emerging world of investigative reporting. Up until then, the few investigative journalists were mostly “lone wolves” in their newsrooms, working on their own and often in fierce competition.
The soon-to-be founders of IRE wondered: What if we help each other instead?
That visionary thought 50 years ago has blossomed into a powerful, supportive community of nearly 5,000 journalists from around the world, today the largest journalist organization based in the United States.
“There is no better time to celebrate investigative journalism than now,” said IRE Executive Director Diana R. Fuentes. “In the face of attacks from many quarters, we are called upon to rally together and keep speaking truth to power and fighting for the people’s right to know. The work our members do every day is truly inspiring. Long live IRE!”
Fifty years of IRE. This milestone is special.
It means that for half a century – through decades of shifting politics and policies, advancements in tools and technology, racial reckonings, financial hardships, industry turmoil, busy news cycles and so much more – our members have stayed true to the belief that journalism can help us all live in a better, more informed world.
Year after year, thousands of journalists have packed into conferences and workshops to share their secrets, to commiserate and to gain inspiration and motivation.
“We are so proud of the storied history of IRE, but we also know that the work continues,” said Brian M. Rosenthal, an investigative reporter at The New York Times and president of the IRE Board of Directors. “This is a moment to celebrate, and to commit ourselves to continuing to carry the torch for the next 50 years, and beyond.”
To celebrate this historic milestone, we have exciting plans throughout 2025. See details below and join us!
Hear from “The Originals”
On March 25, listen to IRE’s real OGs talk about our beginnings and their views of today and tomorrow. We are honored to welcome Len Downie Jr. and Ed DeLaney for this extraordinary online event. They both attended the original meeting of IRE in 1975, and they are still active in our community.
In conversation with Deb Nelson, a veteran IRE member herself and past president who won her first IRE Award in 1984, Downie and DeLaney will talk about the obstacles the group overcame to get IRE started, remembering the strife and the laughter, too; whether they thought we’d ever be where we are today; and where they see us going in the future.
Downie was at The Washington Post at the time, fresh from editing the Watergate stories that led to the resignation of President Nixon DeLaney was a lawyer who shepherded the creation of the new nonprofit IRE and Nelson was a student journalist at Northern Illinois University profoundly influenced by the organization they helped launch. Today, Downie is a professor at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, DeLaney is a Democratic legislator in the Indiana State House of Representatives and Nelson is a professor at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
This special event is free to all IRE members. Please register here.
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