July 9, 2026

We’re welcoming Joe Stephens, our new executive editor, next month and recruiting journalists to join our team. We founded IRW, based at American University, in 2008 and have since worked with dozens of legacy and nonprofit newsrooms to report on a myriad of important topics, including immigration, health care, energy costs, fraud in medical research, police use of force, and accountability at federal agencies. IRW fellows and editors have worked on Pulitzer Prize-winning series, and partnered on investigations with The Washington Post, PBS FRONTLINE, The New York Times, Mother Jones, ProPublica and NPR. Among others.

Help us shape IRW 2.0 — and be part of the future of investigative journalism.

Our two new openings are for a managing editor and a data-journalism editor at IRW. Please apply through these links.

The Managing Editor will lead the production of ambitious, high-impact investigative journalism and help shape the future of the field. This is a senior leadership role for an editor who thrives in the intersection of editorial excellence, innovation, and mentorship.

The Managing Editor will oversee daily newsroom operations while driving major reporting projects in collaboration with leading news organizations. They will play a central role in developing the next generation of investigative journalists and expanding the Workshop’s reach, partnerships, and impact. This is a rare opportunity to shape consequential journalism while investing in the future of the profession. The Managing Editor will help define editorial strategy, expand the reach of investigative reporting, and ensure that vital, accountability-driven stories are produced and seen.

The Data Editor will lead our data and artificial-intelligence journalism efforts and ethics guidelines, mentor others, and translate complex data into impactful investigative stories, while contributing creatively and strategically to the newsroom. This editor handles daily and long-term data assignments for various journalism projects within IRW, and works with other editors, interns, and graduate fellows on data collection, data cleaning, data management, data analysis, and data visualizations. 

Above: IRW intern Alex Smith, foreground, joined Lexie Linderman recently to help the AP cover the World Cup in Toronto. 

• Data Editor Aarushi Sahejpal travels to the Maine Monitor newsroom this week for a workshop for their staffers, whom we’ve partnered with since 2020. He’s talking
  about automated scraping, bringing AI into analysis, and data journalism best practices.
• Intern Alexandria Smith took a break from her in-depth work here to join the AP in Toronto to cover The World Cup. Former IRW intern Penelope Jennings, who is working at The Seattle Times this summer, is also helping to cover The World Cup.
• Intern Avi Paulson flies to Texas for on-the-ground environmental reporting this week.

How our partnerships work.

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