October 5, 2026 — Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) has been named a recipient of the 2026 Internet Archive Hero Award, alongside the Poynter Institute, for preserving local news online.
IRE’s mission is to foster excellence in investigative journalism, which is essential to a free society, and that work starts with the record. The honor comes as the country celebrates American Archives Month this October, a fitting moment to recognize that today’s local news is tomorrow’s historical record. IRE will accept the award at the Internet Archive’s annual celebration, “Democracy’s Library: Tools for Participation,” on October 21 in San Francisco and via livestream.
2026 Internet Archive Hero Award, Preserving Local News Online
Through Today’s News for Tomorrow, IRE has partnered with the Internet Archive and Poynter, with support from Press Forward, to make sure local journalism survives for the communities it serves and the reporters who build on it.
When a local newsroom closes, or a website goes dark, a community’s history can disappear with it, along with the evidence that accountability reporting depends on.
“In this current environment, we’re seeing news outlets close all the time, and each time a piece of history is lost. We can’t afford to let the historic investigations and accountability reporting done by our members just disappear. Through this partnership, we’re ensuring the world-shaping work of journalists is preserved for generations to come,” said Jonathan Kealing, IRE’s executive director.
IRE’s work with Today’s News for Tomorrow has:
- Brought journalists, librarians, archivists and researchers together at the National Summit on Local News Preservation in June.
- Produced a national report with recommendations for newsrooms and cultural heritage organizations.
- Outlined next steps to preserve local news at both the national and local levels.
Is your newsroom’s archive at risk?
Today’s News for Tomorrow gives newsrooms free training in digital preservation and ongoing support to keep their journalism accessible for good. The next cohort starts January 2027.
Congratulations to our co-honoree, the Poynter Institute. IRE and Poynter join past Internet Archive Heroes including Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the island nation of Aruba, and public information advocate Carl Malamud.
