Attending IRE26? Mark your calendar for these sessions featuring RCFP attorneys!

This post will be updated as more details for the conference become available.

Reporters Committee attorneys will participate in an array of sessions at the 2026 Investigative Reporters and Editors conference in National Harbor, Maryland, next week. Check out a list of sessions featuring Reporters Committee attorneys below, and view the full schedule here. We hope to see you there!

FOIA, AI, and the future of access to federal records

Thursday, June 18, 2:30–3:30 p.m.

Adam Marshall, the Reporters Committee’s director of national litigation, will participate in a session focused on how artificial intelligence impacts the federal Freedom of Information Act process for both the government and requesters.

Navigating risk: Practical safety for journalists reporting in the U.S.

Thursday, June 18, 2:30–3:30 p.m.

Learn strategies to assess and manage safety threats while reporting on high-risk situations such as protests at a panel featuring Jen Nelson, the Reporters Committee’s director of pre-publication review and journalist support, and other members of the Journalist Assistance Network.

Legal rights and resources for reporters covering midterm elections

Friday, June 19, 9–10 a.m.

This session with Nelson will offer a practical primer on issues journalists are most likely to encounter on the campaign trail and Election Day, including newsgathering rights at polling places, access to campaign events, and using public records laws to obtain voter registration records, ballots, and other election-related information.

Records access and the right to record: Newsgathering for covering law enforcement

Friday, June 19, 4:00–5:00 p.m.

Join Reporters Committee Staff Attorney Grayson Clary for a session on navigating the legal landscape around capturing and accessing footage of law enforcement. 

Protecting your sources, devices, and work in a new era of press scrutiny

Saturday, June 20, 3:45–4:45 p.m.

In a session featuring Reporters Committee Vice President of Policy Gabe Rottman, hear from media attorneys and investigative journalists about the core legal protections for journalists’ work product, as well as practical steps reporters can take to safeguard their newsgathering materials.