Fellow IRE Members —

This is not going to be my most enthralling update, but it is an important one, because it’s about some potential changes to our organization. (A compelling lede, I know.)

Specifically, we are considering tweaks (see below) to the IRE Articles of Incorporation, our foundational document. These are not massive changes, but they’re worth noting because we rarely amend the Articles — and because we can only do it with a vote of the membership. We will be holding a vote on these amendments during the IRE Conference in Anaheim next month. (We last amended the Articles in 2015.) The amendments are meant to make IRE more inclusive, more accessible and more relevant, particularly amid industry upheaval.

The biggest proposed change is an expansion in who is eligible to join IRE. The proposal, which I've included in full at the bottom of this email, will give the organization the discretion to extend associate membership to the following groups of people. (Unlike full members, associate members cannot vote in our elections.):

• Individuals who are not full-time journalists but work part-time in news gathering, presentation and/or production. (Currently, part-timers are only eligible if they work in "reporting or editing.")
• Individuals who do not work in journalism but have contributed to the field of investigative journalism. (Currently, non-journalists are only eligible if they have contributed to IRE specifically.)

The proposal also will make all retired journalists eligible for membership in IRE, even if they were not part of the organization while they were working journalists. (Currently, retirees are only eligible if they were previous IRE Members.)

Finally, the proposal will allow recent college graduates to temporarily remain student members (instead of professional members) until they land their first job. This will allow them to pay less in membership dues.

The other proposed amendments to the Articles are more technical in nature. One of them removes gendered language, and the other clarifies that members can vote on future amendments virtually. (This year’s vote will also be open to members who attend the membership meeting virtually.)

We will be distributing more information about the vote, and we will be holding a special edition of Board Office Hours next week for you to share your input. Sign up for the Office Hours here.

In addition, the IRE Board voted unanimously at its last meeting to create a new pricing structure that will benefit early-career journalists, in their first five years in the journalism industry. These members will now pay less in membership dues and event registration fees than other professional members.

I and the rest of the Board believe that these changes represent a major step forward for IRE and will help us to fulfill our mission to serve the investigative journalism industry. As our business continues to evolve, I am proud of our organization for keeping up. It is especially important because we recently became the largest professional journalism association of any kind in the United States.

I will sneak in a reminder here that you do not have to have the title of “investigative reporter” to join IRE!

There are more changes ahead, which should not come as a surprise to anybody in the journalism industry. As I've mentioned in previous messages, the Board recently approved adjustments to our policies for which donations we accept and who judges our awards, plus initiatives to increase transparency. Soon we will be considering recommendations from our Board Reform Task Force about the structure of our Board and from our Affordability Task Force about how to continually become more accessible to members.

As always, we will keep you posted.

Brian M. Rosenthal

IRE President

One last thing:

Do you want to be part of the group that decides on these types of policies for IRE/NICAR? The deadline to sign up to run for the IRE Board of Directors is TOMORROW, May 7. We’re always looking for good candidates. Learn about the election and how to declare your candidacy here.

Proposed amendments to IRE Articles of Incorporation

Section 2.03. Clause (a). Earnings. No member of the Corporation shall have or receive any earnings from the Corporation, except a member who is an officer, director, or employee of the Corporation, in which event he they may receive fair and reasonable compensation for his services as an officer, director, or employee: and a member may also receive payments of principal and interest at a rate not exceeding six percent (6%) per annum on funds loaned or advanced by him them to the Corporation.

Section 5.01. Classes of Membership. The Corporation shall have five classes of membership. The classes of membership shall be entitled “Professional,” “Academic”, “Retired”, “Associate” and “Student” respectively. The “Professional” class shall be limited to persons substantially engaged in news gathering, presentation and/or production. The “Academic” class shall be limited to persons engaged full-time in research and/or teaching in the field of journalism. The “Retired” class shall be limited to persons who formerly belonged to the Professional and or Academic class, and have retired from journalism and are no longer working full-time. “Associate” membership will be available to former IRE Members Professional or Academic members who are not retired;, to individuals engaged part-time in news gathering, presentation and/or production;reporting or editing, plus  or to individuals recognized by the organization Board of Directors for their contributions to this corporation to the field of investigative journalism reporting and editing. The Corporation shall recognize as “Student” class shall be limited to members those college students pursuing a degree and recent graduates who are not yet working, who subscribe to the Corporation, in order to be entitled to receive the benefits of its educational activities. Associate members shall not be eligible for the voting rights, which are reserved to the other classes of members. The Board of Directors may further define each of these classes. (Amendments adopted 6/7/08, 3/6/15, 6/23/24)

Section 10.10. Amendment of Articles of Incorporation. The Corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provisions contained in the Articles of Incorporation in any amendment hereto, in any manner now or hereafter prescribed or permitted by the Act or any amendment thereto; upon two-thirds vote of the Members after majority adoption by the Board of Directors of a resolution submitting such amendment of the articles to the membership, upon two-thirds vote of the Members in attendance, in-person or virtually at an annual or special meeting by written notice given to Members; provided, nevertheless, that such power of amendment shall not authorize any amendment which would permit any part of net earnings or property of the Corporation to inure to the benefit of any private individual or which would have the effect of disqualifying this Corporation as an exempt organization under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the Code, as amended, or such equivalent provision may hereafter exist from time to time.