Doug Haddix, MA’90, new executive director at IRE
Former newspaper editor and Kiplinger Program director Doug Haddix, MA’90, has been named executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, a nonprofit organization for excellence in investigative journalism.
In his new role, Haddix manages all facets of IRE’s operation. He oversees the organization’s database library, national and regional conferences, quarterly magazine and the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting.
He said the organization plays an important role in helping uphold journalists’ commitment to the public.
“IRE helps journalists become better watchdogs of government, business and other institutions,” he said. “It’s a community of people that care about doing investigative reporting and really take seriously the responsibility of keeping the public informed about what’s happening with their money, their lives, their jobs and every facet of being part of our country.”
Haddix first became involved with IRE while attending the organization’s national conference in 1996 while he was working as city editor at the Scranton (Pennsylvania) Times.
“It was a career-changing and life-changing conference,” Haddix said in a phone interview. “At that point I fell in love with IRE. It was love at first sight and it turned into a 20-year long-term relationship.”
After leading investigations as projects editor at the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, Haddix joined IRE as a national training director.
“IRE is a terrific community. There’s a wonderful sense of sharing and of paying it forward to help all journalists get better at what they do,” Haddix said.
Haddix went on to become director of the Kiplinger Program in Public Affairs Journalism at Ohio State University, a position he held until this fall.
Serving as IRE’s executive director of IRE is a career move he says he couldn’t have predicted years ago.
“At that first IRE conference I attended, I would never have dreamed of being in this role,” Haddix said. “I was in awe of IRE and remain in awe of IRE. It’s a remarkable organization with a staff that is energetic and creative and so passionate about the work that they’re doing.”
Haddix also aims to increase the number of journalists in IRE.
“We want to continue to expand our base of students and faculty who are part of the IRE community because students can never start early enough in learning about watchdog reporting,” he said. “So I really want to encourage involvement at all levels, including undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. We want to be a community for people regardless of whether they’re just beginning as journalists or have been journalists for 30 years.”
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