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 "U.S. carriers" ...
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Outsourcing Safety: Boeing Jets Repairs in El Salvador
KIRO Team 7 investigators travel to El Salvador, uncovering a series of safety lapses at a Boeing jet maintenance facility. We found unqualified $2 an hour mechanics, the use of broken parts, failures to properly connect electrical wiring inside aircraft and the hiring of a work force that had trouble reading English-only Boeing jet repair manuals. This team of reporters also uncovered the locations of where major U.S. carriers take their jets out of the country for repair (Guadalajara, Taipei, Hong Kong, El Salvador, Beijing, Mexico City and Guatemala).
Tags: Boeing; jets; broken parts; U.S. carriers
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Sick drivers causing fatal wrecks
The story (and follow-up pieces) exmined the issue of dangerous sick drivers who fill U.S. highways. The July 21 story found that hundreds of thousands of drivers carry commercial licenses even though they also qualify for full federal disability payments. The tractor-trailer and bus drivers have suffered seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells that led to deadly crashes, with violations found in every state.
Tags: bus drivers; truck drivers; National Transportation Safety Board; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; blackout
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Hey, Mr. Mailman!
KDFW-TV in Dallas investigates registered sex offenders working for the U.S. Postal Service. The USPS admitted it "does not have a clear policy on offenders who become registered sex offenders." As a result, Postal officals in both Washington, D.C. and Dallas said "Fox 4 News found a weakness in their system" and began to investigate.
Tags: Sex offenders; U.S. Postal Service; mail carriers; federal government
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Unsafe Trucks
This investigation delved into the world of trucking in Alabama where there are too few state troopers, and even fewer inspectors. This story compared the number of truck inspections done in Alabama to other states and the consequences.
Tags: trucks; transportation; Alabama; public safety; truck inspection; weighing stations; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; U.S. Department of Administration
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Damaged Shield?
Most U.S. Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have a special chemically engineered shield between the ships' inner and outer hulls. The shield is meant to protect the carriers, but this investigation found that in many ships the shield is ineffective and flawed. The Navy contractor responsible for the shielding job says that it often cut corners and took shortcuts. As a result, many aircraft carriers are at greater risk for damage from attack.
Tags: armed forces; Navy; ocean; shipyards; USS Cole; government contracts; hulls
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Navy Proposes Shipbuilding Cuts, Plans to Appeal to Bush for Reforms (Inside the Navy); Collins Warns Navy Not to 'Squander' Shipbuilding Budget Progress (Inside the Navy); Warner Concerned About Possible Carrier Delay (InsideDefense.com); Pentagon Further Curtails Navy Shipbuilding Budget (InsideDefense.com)
Castelli's investigative series feature in Inside the Navy and InsideDefense.com exposes proposed shipbuilding cuts in the Navy's fiscal year 2006 budget. The series sheds light on how the cuts will affect the Navy, as well as major U.S. shipyards. "With so much at stake, this series of articles gave decision-makers on Capitol Hill the maximum time available to consider policy questions about shipbuilding that could affect national security, the industrial base, politics and state and local economies."
Tags: Pentagon; Navy Department; Gordon England; Donald Rumsfeld; President Bush; General Dynamics; Northop Grumman
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Where's my stuff?
This hidden camera investigation uncovers a scam by internet moving companies. It found some of these internet moving companies stealing consumer's furniture and personal belongings, while overcharging them at the same time A lack of governmental oversight and ineffective federal regulations have created a vacuum that has allowed moving companies to prey on consumers. The laws are rarely enforced, and often times corrupt movers close up shop when there are too many consumer complaints and re-open under new names, making it impossible for consumers to check them out.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; internet moving companies; moving; moving industry; U.S. Movers; Ace Storage Facility; MovingAdvocateTeam.com; Majesty Moving and Storage; Apollo Van Lines; Moving System; AAA Van Lines; Advanced Moving Systems of Sunrise Florida; Department of Transportation; Ameri Van lines; Move-at-once; Adam Moving; Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Motor Carrier Safety Administration; Moving Industry Fraud
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Cost Cutting Costs Airlines Safety
The report investigated shoddy maintenance on a major U.S. air carrier as a result of cost cutting. CBS News was able to find internal documents and talk to whistle blower mechanics proving that United Airlines failed to do the required maintenance of its fleet and failed to use licensed mechanics as required by the FAA. Examples in this report include: secretaries signing work papers that needed certified mechanic's signatures; failed equipment shined up and reinstalled in planes without being repaired; and letters pressuring mechanics to ignore safety problems.
Tags: TAPE; cost cutting; airline; United Airlines; FAA; NTSB; mechanic; Transportation Department; whistle blower; airline safety; airplane; plane; airline maintenance; circuit breakers; secretary; safety problems; inspection; repair station; outsourcing
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Broken System/Broken Rules
A Newport News Daily Press investigation revealed that the way the Pentagon buys, builds and refurbishes aircraft carriers invites mismanagement and waste. The newspaper found that "the Navy bypasses federal law, Pentagon policies and the service's own procedures when it buys its carriers or pays for programs to improve the ships. Navy program managers also bypass the Defense Department regulations for developing and testing technology, taking shortcuts to push through vital ship components like computer networks and combat systems. The immediate result -- hundreds of millions of dollars wasted. Long term, the costs will add up to billions of dollars."
Tags: Pentagon; aircraft carriers; mismanagement; waste; U.S. Navy; Air Force; Defense Department; contractors
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Dead Tired: On the Road with Weary Truckers
The Kansas City Star reports on the effects of deregulation on the trucking industry. As truckers work long hours for low pay, the result is disturbing: "Fatigue behind the wheel of 40-ton rigs is now so pervasive on American highways that drivers regularly nod off and drift into oncoming lanes or slam into the backs of slower-moving cars." The series reveals that federal regulations have not solved the problem with truckers' fatigue, and that the NAFTA agreement has left unaddressed the exhaustion of Mexican drivers, who sometimes drive for more than 24 hours. The analysis of accident databases has shown that many transportation companies with known safety problems have not been inspected by the government.
Tags: CAR; highway traffic safety; accidents; injuries; crashes; American Trucking Association; hauling; freight; FARS