[3] Programs of IRE include the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, which aims to foster excellence in data journalism.

Someone in the meeting grabbed a dictionary to find synonyms of “outrage” and came up with “ire,” which would work as an acronym for "Investigative Reporters and Editors Group".

[4] IRE was in a delicate position to ask for funds and grants, since journalists investigate companies and even foundations.

More than 300 people attended, including approximately 200 paying participants from 35 states, 30 speakers and 40 students.

The members of IRE also voted to seek funds to establish a resource center at Ohio State University by July 1, 1977.

In the end, in June 1978, a meeting in Denver by the members of IRE decided unanimously for the University of Missouri.

[5][4] In 1976, one of the members, Don Bolles of the Arizona Republic was murdered by a bomb explosion beneath his car.

[4][6][7] NICAR, a program of IRE, was founded in 1989, with the aim of assisting journalists with data journalism.

It aims at providing accessible training in investigative and data reporting to underserved communities.

[11] IRE also holds regular paid bootcamps and workshops, and it provides training services to newsrooms and schools.

[12] In 2023, the organization published the IRE Guides, a comprehensive list of free resources for journalists.