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 "Right to Know" ...
-
Your Right to Know
A reporter for the Columbus Dispatch began publishing a blog designed to educate Ohioans about their rights to access public records and meetings. The blog is also used as a bully pulpit to point out government abuses in withholding records from the public and news media.
Tags: blog; open records; Sunshine Laws; FOIA; Freedom of Information Act; public records
-
Watchdog website and its web pages
The Oklahoman/NewsOK.com started this project in 2008 with the Right to Know page, a collection of databases developed internally to go along with stories and links to relevant public information. That site became part of the Watchdog page in 2009. In 2010, the staff continued to evolve the Watchdog page with "mini-sites" of investigative topics, such as a political corruption case at the Oklahoma Legislature; the staff's FOI fight over the birth dates of public employees; and allegations of bid-rigging with a married lawmaker and lobbyist for a private company seeking a state juvenile justice contract. Other "mini-sites" under Watchdog include ongoing coverage of the state Department of Human Services and the federal stimulus package.
Tags: continuous coverage; online; watchdog; bid-rigging; Department of Human Services; federal stimulus; FOI; Right to Know
-
"Big payout, little oversight at NEIU"
After receiving a tip from a member of the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit (NEIU) board, reporter Sarah Hofius Hall began investigating the retirement of Fred Rosetti, former executive director of the NEIU. She revealed that the board "blindly and quietly" removed caps on accrued vacation and sick days, which meant Rosetti would have received slightly more than half a million dollars in payouts upon retirement.
Tags: NEIU; payouts; right-to-know request; Abington Heights; Alvin Hollister; vacation days; sick leave; Italy
-
Your Right to Know
As Members of Parliament (MPs), they are to use their power to best serve the people. In this article, we see that this is not the case and taxpayers' money is being used for their own personal use. Furthermore, they try to keep this information hidden by ways of denying requests of expenses, delaying publication of information, and exempting themselves from their own laws.
Tags: Members of Parliament (MPs); Freedom of Information Act; FOI; House of Commons; Taxpayers; House flipping; Scandal; London; United Kingdom
-
Drill Dangers
Gas industry-funded geologists announced a new estimate of 4000 trillion cubic feet of natural gas beneath the Marcellus Shale in New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and Maryland, enough gas to satisfy the needs of the entire U.S. for up to 40 years. That estimate, combined with escalating natural gas prices, has caused a drilling boom in Pennsylvania. The stories discovered that Marcellus Shale drillers are drawing the millions of gallons of water needed for each well from streams, rivers and reservoirs, with no oversight or regulation. our report detailed how that practice has already caused at least two streams to run dry.
Tags: environment; natural gas; drilling boom; Pennsylvania's Right To Know Law; gas well permits; Marcellus Shale wells;
-
Who's Watching Out for Me?
"Pennsylvania's dog wardens have been extremely lenient in policing licensed dog kennels. Our analysis of kennel inspection records, the first of its kind, showed that the vat majority of inspections recorded not a single violation, and even when violations were found, authorities almost never took firm action."
Tags: dogs; animals; health; inspections; Right to Know law; kennels
-
Treatment of Sex Offenders
In 1998, Colorado established a life-time-of- supervision law for sex offenders. Since then only two convicted sex offenders have been paroled. These inmates are also given therapy, not with the hope of curing them, but instead with the goal to teach them how to manage their behavior. When an offender goes on parole he does so with the recommendation of his therapist. In 2005 the Colorado Department of Corrections decided that the public had the right to know sex offenders' progress which includes their therapists' recommendations.
Tags: sex offenders; law; therapy
-
Your Right to Know
A team of 52 Journal News reporters gathered evidence through a FOI audit of 121 agencies in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam. The audit revealed that school districts and counties generally received an A for their compliance of FOI law. But police departments failed miserably, with a mere 37 percent of them giving out arrest data. Worse, New York's toothless Sunshine Law stifled access to public information and provided little incentive for government agencies to comply.
Tags: FOIA audit; Freedom of Information Act; data negotiation; open records; state government; city government; watchdog journalism
-
Tax Dodgers
A WTAE-TV investigation found serious problems with Pittsburgh's tax collection procedures as the city grappled with municipal bankruptcy. The two stories found that the city had more than $21 million in delinquent taxes, or half its deficit at the time, and that some of the biggest banks in Pittsburgh, and around the country, were failing to pay their taxes.
Tags: Pittsburgh municipal bankruptcy; Pittsburgh delinquent taxes; Pittsburgh banks; property records; corporation records; Pennsylvania's Right-To-Know (FOI) Law
-
The Right to Know
This series was the result of a year long investigation into government use and abuse of Freedom if Information legislation across Canada. The final result showed that political interference with FOI requests was frequent and often delayed and subverted the FOI process.
Tags: FOIA