Join IRE

IRE has six options for membership:

• Professional
  • General ($75/year): Journalists who are substantially engaged in news gathering, presentation and/or production.
  • Early Career ($50/year): Journalists who are substantially engaged in news gathering, presentation and/or production, and are in their first five years in professional journalism.
• Academic ($75/year): People who work full-time in research and/or teaching in the field of journalism.
• Retiree ($75/year $50 in 2025 to celebrate IRE's 50th Anniversary): People who have retired from journalism and are no longer working full-time.
• Associate ($75/year): Former IRE Members who are not retired; people engaged part-time in news gathering, presentation and/or production; or individuals recognized by the organization for their contributions to the field of investigative journalism.
• Student ($25/yr): College students pursuing a degree, or recent graduates who are not yet working (up to one year after graduation).

Get to the bottom of your story and the top of your field. IRE can help you enhance your daily reporting with resources you won’t find anywhere else.

Share the gift of IRE by purchasing a one-year membership or membership renewal for a friend or colleague. If you’re a member, you’ve seen the impact of our work firsthand. By giving a membership, you help IRE make a difference in someone’s life, the way it did for you.

IRE is committed to developing the next generation of investigative reporters by introducing more students to the organization. To do this, we need your help. Please consider sponsoring a $25 student membership for your alma mater, college media or for an intern at your news organization. You can also donate a membership to help support IRE’s efforts to build a more diverse organization. 

Apply for free IRE membership renewal

Current and former IRE professional and academic members who are unable to renew their memberships due to layoffs, furloughs or job terminations, can apply to receive a complimentary one-year membership renewal through IRE’s Support a Journalist Program.

The program is for professional and academic members only whose memberships have expired or are going to expire within 60 days who are struggling to find work. If you would like to apply for membership assistance, please fill out this form. 

Membership assistance will be awarded as funds are available.

If you would like to help support this program, please donate here. and put "Support a Journalist" in the specify fund line.