The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Baron" ...
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Made in the U.S.A.
Despite a U.S. embargo against Iran, hundreds of people and companies in the U.S. have been caught smuggling the goods to Iran. CBS shows how vast the underground smuggling network is and how smugglers are moving the weapons from the U.S. to Iran through third countries like Malaysia or Dubai.
Tags: Iran; embargo; weapon trade; underground; Malaysia; Dubai
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"130 Million Tons of Waste"
When coal is burned for electricity, it produces a byproduct called coal ash. "Every year, 130 million tons" of the ash is produced. It's "one of the largest waste-streams in the U.S.," and currently, there is little to no federal oversight. This report focuses on two major coal ash spills have occurred in the U.S. One of the spills caused "two communities to lose access to clean drinking water."
Tags: Coal ash; burning coal; toxic waste; Chesapeake; Kingston; EPA; Coal and Utilities
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Shaping the Message
The Pentagon contracted a public relations firm to profile embedded journalists reporting on missions in Afghanistan. The profiling program was meant to drive journalists to report positively and deny embed requests from those who tended to report negatively on the conflict. Within six days of public exposure to this information, the Pentagon canceled the contract.
Tags: Pentagon; contract; journalists; embedded; profiling; stars and stripes; reporting; reporters; Rendon;
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Hi-Tech Heist
"60 Minutes showed how hackers easily steal customer personal and financial data from retailers, through stores' wireless systems. And while both the retail industry and the credit card companies know this is a growing problems, they are caught up in a fight as to who's to blame, and who should pay to fix it."
Tags: credit cards; hackers; wireless; Internet; ecommerce; e-commerce; online shopping; retailers; TJX; theft
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"Innocent" and "The Duke Case"
In two separate reports, CBS airs the conclusions of their investigations into the Duke Rape Case, in which three white Duke University Lacrosse players were accused of raping a black exotic dancer. "The Duke Case," aired in January, includes an interview with the prosecutor's key DNA expert, who "admitted that crucial exculpatory evidence had been withheld." "Innocent," aired in April, includes an exclusive interview with the North Carolina Attorney General, who explained why he decided to exonerate the three players.
Tags: Duke Rape Case; rape; Duke University; police reports; forensic evidence;
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Exporting Faith
The Boston Globe used "a complete raw database of all USAID awards (prime contracts, grants and agreements) obligated from FY 2001 to FY 2005" to investigate the results of President Bush's Executive Orders that "created the faith based initiative and relaxed federal regulations for religious groups using government funds that once sought to protect church-state separations." The series shows that the percentage of USAID awards going to ngo faith based organizations in 2005 was almost doubled the percentage in 2001, from 10.5% to 19.9%. This creates the potential for problems where aid recipients "might forgo assistance because they don't share in the religion of the provider."
Tags: separation of church and state; faith-based initiatives; foreign aid; executive orders; church-state ties; White House Office of Faith and Community Based Initiatives; President Bush; USAID; NGO; Christian evangelicals; Kenya; Angola; Pakistan; Focus on the Family; James Dobb; FOIA; UNICEF; UNDP; State Department; Samaritan's Purse; National Association of Evangelicals; Americans United for Separation of the Church and State; Global Health Outreach; Offfice of Volunteers for Prosperity; Youth for Christ; World Vision; Yellowbook;
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Windfalls of War: U.S. Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan
This investigation revealed that more than 70 American companies and individuals had been awarded up to $8 billion in contracts for work in postwar Iraq and Afghanistan over the past two years, This investigation examined the companies in detail, profiling their backgrounds, campaign contributions, ties to government and past history of contracting. A lot of shady coincidences were uncovered. For example, the top 10 contractors contributed $11 million to national political parties, candidates and political action committees since 1990.
Tags: FOIA
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The Water Barons
This project reveals and documents the increasingly common privatization of public drinking water systems worldwide and examines the impact of this new form of globalization. Three private water utilities companies, all based in France, dominate the worldwide market. This project raises concerns that a few companies could soon control a large chunk of the world's most vital resource. 31 researchers, writers and editors were involved in this twelve month investigation.
Tags: water; privatization; globalization; drought
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River Barons
The Times-Picayune discovers that state-commissioned pilots who navigate the Mississippi River are "letting inexperienced relatives and drug abusers take control of huge oceangoing ships on the most treacherous commercial waterway in North America." The stories examine the dangers involved in allowing river pilots, who are considered state officials, to elect and regulate the members of their three pilot groups that operate the Mississippi. The major findings are that 85% of the new pilots are related to existing members, and that those involved in accidents are rarely, if ever, disciplined. "Efforts to overhaul pilot legislation have routinely failed in the face of aggressive lobbying by river pilots, one of the state's most generous and powerful special interest groups," the Times-Picayne reports.
Tags: transportation; rivers; maritime industry; money and politics; regulation; lobbying; FOI requests; Louisiana Public Service Commission