Investigative Reporters and Editors Inc.

About

UPDATE:
In fall, 2007, Houston tranferred to a new post at the University of Illinois, leaving IRE.

From http://www.ire.org/history/:

Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. is a grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting.

IRE was formed in 1975 to create a forum in which journalists throughout the world could help each other by sharing story ideas, newsgathering techniques and news sources.

Mission Statement

The mission of Investigative Reporters and Editors is to foster excellence in investigative journalism, which is essential to a free society. We accomplish this by:

Providing training, resources and a community of support to

investigative journalists.

Promoting high professional standards.

Protecting the rights of investigative journalists.

Ensuring the future of IRE.

From http://www.ire.org/staff/directors.html:

Brant Houston is former executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc., and a professor at the University of Illinois in Urbana. He was formerly at the Univ. of Missouri. He is also author of Computer-Assisted Reporting: A Practical Guide and co-author of the fourth edition of The Investigative Reporter''s Handbook. Before becoming executive director, he was managing director of the National Institute for Computer Assisted Reporting for two years and before that, a daily journalist for 17 years. He worked as an award-winning investigative reporter and database editor at The Hartford Courant and The Kansas City Star where he also was part of its investigative team. He also worked for several news organizations in the Boston area. His career has included stints on the investigative and projects desk, and many different beats, including city hall, courts, health, the statehouse, sports, and general assignment.