IRE awarded the 2025 Don Bolles Medal to Rocío Gallegos, who has courageously reported from the U.S.-Mexico border since 1994, exposing government corruption and helping to report the truth behind the murders of two other journalists

Gallegos is editorial director and co-founder of the independent La Verdad, putting the safety of its journalists — and their families — at great risk when they publish. But it’s not an option to be silent, Gallegos told IRE. 

“It’s very difficult to explain, and it is very difficult to understand, but there is a lot of information that has to be made public,” she said. “Information has to be made public for change to occur — change for our community and for our families, too.”

John Bones, Manny García, Kevin Keeshan and Shawn McIntosh were officially inducted into IRE's Ring of Honor.

Julia Bones, the daughter of the late John Bones, accepted the honor on his behalf. Keeshan's induction was announced as a surprise at the conference.

The Ring of Honor is a fundraising initiative celebrating members who have made a significant contribution to the organization and to investigative journalism. Make a gift or submit a nomination online.

IRE election results were announced at the membership meeting in New Orleans. Five incumbents — Jodie Fleischer, Cindy Galli, Josh Hinkle, Ana Ley and Brian Rosenthal — were re-elected to the Board of Directors. One newcomer, Caresse Jackman, was elected. IRE members also elected two journalists, Walter Smith Randolph and Mark Lagerkvist, to the Contest Committee. Read the announcement.

Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for shredding and blocking access to records of vital public interest detailing controversial federal government actions.

Finalists included the The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice under President Trump, The City of Columbus and Mayor Andrew Ginther, the administration of Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, and Minnesota's Ramsey County Judge Joy Bartscher. Read the full announcement.

Applications are open for IRE's Chauncey Bailey Journalist of Color Investigative Reporting Fellowship. This yearlong program provides assistance to attend multiple IRE trainings across the country, including a Data Journalism Bootcamp, the NICAR Conference and the IRE Conference. U.S. journalists of color with at least three years of post-college work experience are eligible to apply. Get details and apply by Sept. 1.

Continued expansion in the nonprofit sector, a diversifying investigative workforce, and growing pessimism about the future of journalism are among the main takeaways from a broad national survey of IRE members. The survey, conducted by Gerry Lanosga and Brant Houston in 2023, examines changes in demographics, diversity, and attitudes toward investigative reporting over the past decade.

A full summary of their findings is in The IRE Journal online, available for free to members.

IRE and Arizona State's Howard Center for Investigative Journalism are offering a dynamic online certificate program in investigative editing. Learn from renowned editors and educators — all longtime IRE members — on how to manage investigations, collaborations and the evolving demands of multimedia storytelling. The complete 12-module program, which earns you a certificate and is taken at your own pace, starts June 30.

You also can take your choice of individual modules at $300 each. Register today.

Our final in-person bootcamp of 2025 is coming up in August. This weeklong training will cover all the skills you need to use R for cleaning, analyzing and visualizing data. We call it “bootcamp” because it is intense training that will change your (journalist) life! Get details and register.

Not sure if bootcamp is right for you? Read our FAQ page.

Registration for AccessFest is just $50 right now! This IRE conference is virtual by design, created with the goal of expanding IRE training to journalists around the world in a more accessible and affordable format.

We'll have our top investigative and data sessions from this year's in-person conferences, along with panels focused on accessibility and inclusion — both in the newsroom and in news coverage. You'll walk away with new skills and new perspectives. Get details and join us Oct. 9-11.