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 "General Electric" ...
-
Hitler's Carmaker: GM and the Nazis
Black attempts to prove veracity of an urban legend regarding GM's relationship with Germany. As the Nazi war machine gathered steam, General Motors was a major helper as the German military built its dominance. At the same time, GM was "perpetrating a massive criminal conspiracy to subvert clean, electric mass transit - trolleys - in 40 cities, thus helping our addiction to oil." GM had buried its past involvement with the Nazis by funding an academic inquiry, then keeping the results secret even after donating them to Yale University.
Tags: General Motors; Nazi Germany; Opel; trolleys; Adolf Hitler; oil addiction
-
Slaves in Amazon Forced to Make Material Used in Cars
In Brazil, Peru and Bolivia hundreds of thousands of unemployed men and women are being recruited for slavery. The workers for the slave-camps make charcoal, while being forced to live without housing, electricity or plumbing, and without pay.
Tags: slave labor; Amazon; South America; labor camps; malaria; tuberculosis; Whirlpool; Nucor; Latin America; Ford; General Motors; Nissan; Toyota; car companies
-
Defective Fridges
This story exposed widespread defects in GE refrigerators. Months after the story aired, GE settled consumer lawsuits filed by owners of the defective appliances.
Tags: product liability; refrigerators; General Electric; GE; consumer lawsuits; product defect
-
"The PGE Papers"
Jaquiss' investigation into the proposed sale of Portland General Electric, Oregon's largest utility, revealed information from inside sources that sank the deal. While Texas Pacific Group, a private equity firm, publicly promised to keep PGE intact and not try to flip it quickly for big profits, internal documents revealed their real intentions were exactly the opposite. Jaquiss also revealed a tax scam in which hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes were collected from rate-payers but never turned over to the government. Also included are stories from other sources that cover the effects of Jaquiss' reporting.
Tags: City government; public utilities; Enron; energy costs; price gouging; tax fraud
-
Doing Business with the Enemy
60 Minutes discovered that companies like Halliburton and General Electric that pension plans and mutual funds invest in heavily were doing business in countries that sponsor terrorism.
-
Networks of Influence
This investigation revealed the communication industry has spent $1.1 billion since 1998 to obtain political influence--more than twice a much as the oil and gas industry spent. Money spent on supporting candidates, lobbying, junkets and the practice of government officials leaving their jobs to work for the industries they used to regulate were all scrutinized. While broadcasters usually spent and equal amount of money supporting republicans and democrats, Sinclair Broadcasting Group spent more than 95% on republicans only. Detailed graphs included make the story easy to understand.
Tags: On-line; FCC; Federal Communications Commission; telecommunications; broadcast; political influence; lobby; television; radio; junket; Telecommunications Act of 1996; General Electric; Sinclair; Time Warner
-
Fan Fires
After KIRO-TV produced this story, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a nationwide recall of millions of oscillating fans. A fire investigator took an SMC brand oscillating fan to his lab, plugged it in, and let it run 8 hours per day for 5 days. During the fifth day, the fan burst into flames.
Tags: oscillating fan danger; fan fire; Consumer Product Safety Commission; electric fans
-
In the Dark
This series of stories investigates the questionable success of the state's power program. The program would not reveal much information concerning customers, profits and its relationship to Reliant Energy Solutions--the program's sole contract. Public entities that could take advantage of the program because it supposedly supports a school fund, find upon research that the program does not give them the best deal. An internal audit showed that the program often exaggerated numbers.
Tags: gas; electricity; power; Texas general land office; state power program; FOIA; Reliant energy; energy; school
-
At KCPL Doctors say the darnedest things to injured workers. Get to work!
This story details an employee's experience with Kansas City Power and Light after getting injured on the job. KCPL is not required to pay specialists so care of injured workers unless a company-approved doctor refers a patient to the specialists, and injured workers don't feel the company has their best interests in mind. For example, KCPL sent this employee to a doctor who was on probation for alcohol abuse during his treatment, and had a malpractice lawsuit against him.
Tags: Kansas City Power and Light; KU Medical Center; KCPL; union; workers compensation; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; Occupational Health Services; Missouri State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts
-
Secret Files
The Courant detailed the extent and nature of an unusual practice whereby state judges selectively sealed cases, some so completely that their very existence was not publicly acknowledged. That disclosure, and the revelations that the practice often favored fellow judges, celebrities, and wealthy CEO's, stoked considerable public outrage. Six months later, judges abolished it.
Tags: state judges; dockets; Connecticut Practice Book; Connecticut Law Tribune; sealed cases; sealed files; lawsuit; divorce-court cases; Texaco; Nine West; Arthur Anderson; MasterCard; Primerica Corp.; General Electric; University of Connecticut; Level 1 sealing; Level 2 sealing; judicial branch; Superior Court Judges; U.S. Supreme Court; Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford; Connecticut State Supreme Court; U.S. District Court in Hartford; sexual abuse; lawsuits public interest cases; secret court files; state-court proceedings