Protecting the facts

IRE hosts webinar series to strengthen safety and preparedness in journalism 

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At a time when reporters throughout the globe are encountering unprecedented enmity, surveillance, and legal strain, Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) is multiplying initiatives to verify that reporters have expertise and shields they require to accomplish their tasks securely and properly.

IRE launched Protecting the Facts, a webinar series that includes training for journalists with the necessary skills and tools to navigate risks, be digitally safe, and responsible reporters in unstable situations.

The series, which was launched earlier this year, is also a direct response to the larger mission of IRE to train investigative reporters on high-impact training, using accessible methods.

According to Francisco Vara-Orta, the director of diversity and inclusion at IRE, the organization is meant to be a place where all journalists regardless of their backgrounds can get a bit of advice on how to produce work they are connected to and proud of. He said that the organization is dedicated to accessibility, which involves cost-effective programming and online services to individuals who are unable to travel.

The Protecting the Facts series reflects this approach. According to IRE executive director Diana Fuentes, the initiative grew out of an urgent need.

With the increasing attacks on press freedom and journalists themselves, we needed to boost training in that area, Fuentes said.

She added that journalists covering everything from protests to sensitive digital investigations require updated safety knowledge, yet many newsrooms lack the resources to provide it.

To fill that gap, IRE has provided courses on such topics as:

• Covering civil unrest, led by conflict reporter and safety expert Judith Matloff, outlining What you should and shouldn’t take with you to a protest. 
• Digital security, offering current tools and best practices to help reporters protect themselves and their sources online. 
• Handling leaks and sensitive documents, with additional sessions planned for 2026.  

Fuentes also highlighted the issue of access, as during the webinars, most of the sessions are free to their members but noted that smaller newsrooms which frequently serve marginalized populations, are the ones facing the most difficulty with training budgets. It is cheap and easy to do training online, she said. It is more of a cost-effective method of giving a valuable resource to where it is most needed.

The collective work of IRE reflects an increasingly expansive understanding of journalistic safety — one that cannot be separated from the integrity of reporting itself. As Vara-Orta noted, creating inclusive, responsive training is good planning for the future bottom line — not just for news organizations, but for the communities they serve.

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