IRE 2025 conference schedule
The IRE 2025 conference will run from Thursday, June 19, to Sunday, June 22 in New Orleans, at the New Orleans Marriott, 555 Canal Street New Orleans, LA 70130. More details will be added to this schedule as they are confirmed.
To register for the conference, please navigate to this page: https://www.ire.org/training/conferences/ire-2025/ire25-registration/
68 sessions confirmed - Updated April 3 - All times are CT
View schedule in another format:
HTML: https://schedules.ire.org/ire-2025/index.html
PDF: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1US3xJUBCEP4gVB7tD_fDZFlA9bWw53xIirIbu3CBYCQ/export?format=pdf
CSV: https://schedules.ire.org/ire-2025/ire-2025-schedule.csv
JSON: https://schedules.ire.org/ire-2025/ire-2025-schedule.json
 
*** THURSDAY, JUNE 19 ***

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Harnessing records to find and develop innovative climate stories
Time: Thursday, June 19, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Investigative reporting in rural america
Time: Thursday, June 19, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Master Class: Writing the investigative narrative (pre-registered attendees only)
Time: Thursday, June 19, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (3h 30m)
Location: Salon A-C (3rd floor)
Learn how to make your investigative writing compelling and powerful. We cover everything from defining an investigative narrative to how to report, organize, write and self-edit your own! Topics include:
-Understanding the investigative narrative
-How to pitch
-Turning sources into characters
-Writing a scene
-Self-editing tips and techniques
-Organizing and writing a deeply reported investigative narrative.
Preregistration is required and seating is limited.
Notes:
  - Session type: Pre-registration - Master Class,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speakers:
  - Bethany Barnes, Tampa Bay Times,
  - Rebecca Woolington, Tampa Bay Times

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The internet is forever: How to uncover hidden information
Time: Thursday, June 19, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Filing a better FOIA request
Time: Thursday, June 19, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded,
  - Public records, Beginner track
Speaker information coming soon.

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From the outside, looking in: Covering communities and topics you are not part of
Time: Thursday, June 19, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Salon E (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Investigations following breaking news
Time: Thursday, June 19, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Practical, ethical use of AI in the newsroom: Research, reporting and fact-checking
Time: Thursday, June 19, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Investigating for-profit health care systems and hospitals
Time: Thursday, June 19, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Nonprofit funding of local investigative journalism
Time: Thursday, June 19, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony L,M,N (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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When government data disappears: How to cross-check, preserve, and investigate
Time: Thursday, June 19, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Developing curriculum for the next generation of journalists
Time: Thursday, June 19, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Salon E (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Commons,
  - Session audio will be recorded,
  - Educators track
Speaker information coming soon.

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Make your audience care
Time: Thursday, June 19, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony L,M,N (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Master Class: Outlining and structure: The writer's missing manual (pre-registered attendees only)
Time: Thursday, June 19, 2:30 – 6 p.m. (3h 30m)
Location: Salon F,G,H (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Pre-registration - Master Class,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Navigating record requests within the criminal legal system
Time: Thursday, June 19, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Using open source tools to localize national data
Time: Thursday, June 19, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Demo,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Covering serial murder, cold cases and missing and unidentified persons
Time: Thursday, June 19, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. (1h)
Location: Salon E (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Finding a needle in a haystack: Managing document-heavy investigations
Time: Thursday, June 19, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony L,M,N (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Demo,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Investigating hunger
Time: Thursday, June 19, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Real estate investigations: Covering the government, private sector and private equity sectors
Time: Thursday, June 19, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Understanding your legal rights when reporting on immigration and deportation
Time: Thursday, June 19, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Covering corporate behavior: What they do (not what they say) and their big plans for the future
Time: Thursday, June 19, 5 – 6 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Freelancers: Create entrepreneurship systems that work for you
Time: Thursday, June 19, 5 – 6 p.m. (1h)
Location: Salon E (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded,
  - Freelance track
Speaker information coming soon.

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Reporting on topics that involve minors
Time: Thursday, June 19, 5 – 6 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Using court records to break stories
Time: Thursday, June 19, 5 – 6 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.
 
*** FRIDAY, JUNE 20 ***

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Bridging the newsroom and the classroom: Tackling big projects with student journalists
Time: Friday, June 20, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Salon E (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded,
  - Educators track
Speaker information coming soon.

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Disclosing AI: What audiences want and how newsrooms can respond
Time: Friday, June 20, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Income inequality: The upsurge of extreme wealth
Time: Friday, June 20, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Master Class: Reporting and writing for scene (pre-registered attendees only)
Time: Friday, June 20, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (3h 30m)
Location: Salon A-C (3rd floor)
When it comes to crafting scenes, we can learn a lot from people who write fiction and screenplays. But our challenges begin long before the writing. Our scenes have to be true not just emotionally, but factually. This class will look at ways to gather dialogue, the telling detail and other threads that we can then weave into a scene people will remember (all, of course, without sacrificing the element of accountability — because, that’s what we do). We’ll dissect song lyrics; chat about creating dread; read a scene on the page, then watch it dramatized on screen. Plus, the fabulous Pam Colloff will drop in and talk shop.
Preregistration is required and seating is limited.
Notes:
  - Session type: Pre-registration - Master Class,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speakers:
  - Ken Armstrong, Bloomberg News,
  - Pamela Colloff, ProPublica

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Reporting on the 'War on Terror'
Time: Friday, June 20, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony L,M,N (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Working with hard to reach sources
Time: Friday, June 20, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Covering housing authoritatively: How to expose the unseen challenges of renters
Time: Friday, June 20, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Covering the courts in turbulent times: Free tools for powerful legal reporting
Time: Friday, June 20, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded,
  - Public records track
Speaker information coming soon.

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Exploring the intersection of incarceration and the climate crisis
Time: Friday, June 20, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Salon E (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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How to pivot from the newsroom: Reinventing yourself without losing your investigative edge
Time: Friday, June 20, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony L,M,N (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded,
  - Freelance track
Speaker information coming soon.

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The art of the business investigation
Time: Friday, June 20, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Tracking right-wing influencers and movements
Time: Friday, June 20, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Extracting public records from secretive government agencies
Time: Friday, June 20, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Turning your investigation into a book
Time: Friday, June 20, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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How to report on anti-competitive behavior
Time: Friday, June 20, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded,
  - Business track
Speaker information coming soon.

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War journal: How to report on gun violence in the era of Trump
Time: Friday, June 20, 3:45 – 4:45 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Covering mass shootings responsibly
Time: Friday, June 20, 5 – 6 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Finding stories hidden in your local government’s meeting agenda
Time: Friday, June 20, 5 – 6 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Reporting on stigmatized public health issues
Time: Friday, June 20, 5 – 6 p.m. (1h)
Location: Salon D (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Working with whistelblowers: Past, present and future
Time: Friday, June 20, 5 – 6 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.
 
*** SATURDAY, JUNE 21 ***

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Ethically covering the impact of abortion bans
Time: Saturday, June 21, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Salon E (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Investigating the impact of alternative energy
Time: Saturday, June 21, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Salon D (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Master Class: Managing investigators… or how to lead journalists born to challenge authority (50th Anniversary Edition)
Time: Saturday, June 21, 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (3h 30m)
Location: Salon A-C (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Pre-registration - Master Class,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Reporting on corporate-driven health crises
Time: Saturday, June 21, 9 a.m. – 5:15 p.m. (7h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Unsung documents
Time: Saturday, June 21, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Veteran investigative reporters reprise a classic panel and list obscure but powerful documents that anyone can use to turbocharge a project or bulk-up daily beat coverage. They also provide practical guidelines for unearthing, scrutinizing, managing and cross-referencing routine documents to unleash their full investigative power.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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A year in local investigations: Watchdog story ideas
Time: Saturday, June 21, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 3 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Leveraging AI to enhance political accountability
Time: Saturday, June 21, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Demo,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Me Too isn’t over: Lessons from eight years of sexual harassment and violence investigations (to get us through the next four)
Time: Saturday, June 21, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony L,M,N (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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The rise of attacks on the press in the U.S.
Time: Saturday, June 21, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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How student journalists are leading real-world investigative reporting across the U.S.
Time: Saturday, June 21, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Salon E (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded,
  - Educators, Students track
Speaker information coming soon.

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How to background people in an hour
Time: Saturday, June 21, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Story ideas for investigating the big business of cannabis
Time: Saturday, June 21, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Salon D (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded,
  - Business, Beat reporting track
Speaker information coming soon.

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Using WhatsApp and other tools to crowdsource data
Time: Saturday, June 21, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony L,M,N (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Writing short: Narratives don't have to be long!
Time: Saturday, June 21, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Covering economic development incentives: What it really means to give companies public dollars
Time: Saturday, June 21, 3 – 4 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Covering science in the political spotlight
Time: Saturday, June 21, 3 – 4 p.m. (1h)
Location: Salon E (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Document crowd competition: 40 ideas in 40 minutes
Time: Saturday, June 21, 3 – 4 p.m. (1h)
Location: Balcony I,J,K (4th floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Organizing your investigation
Time: Saturday, June 21, 3 – 4 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Arrested by AI: Reporting on the intersection of AI and policing
Time: Saturday, June 21, 4:15 – 5:15 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Exemption redemption: How to overcome public records exemptions
Time: Saturday, June 21, 4:15 – 5:15 p.m. (1h)
Location: Salon D (3rd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Finding and using historical documents in investigative stories
Time: Saturday, June 21, 4:15 – 5:15 p.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 1-2 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.
 
*** SUNDAY, JUNE 22 ***

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The art of fact checking
Time: Sunday, June 22, 9 – 10 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.

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Everything you want to know about tracking political influence and money in politics
Time: Sunday, June 22, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m. (1h)
Location: Galerie 4-5 (2nd floor)
Description coming soon.
Notes:
  - Session type: Panel,
  - Session audio will be recorded
Speaker information coming soon.