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 "VIDEOCLIP" ...
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Treading on Danger?
KHOU-TV began investigating car tires that lost their tread in December of 1999 "after receiving viewer complaints and a tip from a local Houston lawyer about the tire." Through interviews with victims and lawyers, KHOU found 30 deaths that were connected to "tread separation on ATX tires. And most of all, we didn't stop at Texas but for the first time started assembling a national snapshot of similar accidents in states such as New Mexico, California, Florida, Arizona, etc."
Tags: VIDEOCLIP; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Firestone tires; tires; car accidents; Firestone ATX; Firestone ATX II
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"No Justice for Children"
"Traditionally, Family Court has received little scrutiny from the media. The underlying feeling has been that when divorcing parents wage bitter custody battles over their children those are personal matters best left in the dusty files of the courthouse basement." In an eight-month investigation into the Family Court system in North Texas, WFAA found a legal system filled with political corruption on the part of judges, lawyers and even psychologists. In one instance WFAA discovered that a court-appointed psychologist used outdated psychological test to falsely label some parents unfit to care for their children.
Tags: VIDEOCLIP; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Family Courts; justice system; corruption; neglect
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"Who's at the Wheel?"
WMAQ conducted a yearlong investigation into the practices of Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus drivers uncovered 127 CTA bus drivers with drunk driving convictions and 56 drivers operating city buses with suspended or revoked licenses. WMAQ also learned that the CTA repeatedly failed to conduct background checks on its drivers, despite having a direct link to the Illinois state drivers license records.
Tags: VIDEOCLIP; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Public Transportation; Chicago; public busing.
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Dangerous Drugs
A CBS News investigation into the FDA reveals that the organization has approved a number of drugs despite objections from its own scientists. Among the questionably approved drugs was Rezulin, a diabetes drug, and Relenza, a flu drug. "The series exposed a serious rift between FDA rank-and-file scientists who felt their concerns were being ignored, and FDA executives who repeatedly sided with pharmaceutical companies over issues of safety regarding controversial drugs."
Tags: VIDEOCLIP; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; FDA; Rezulin; Relenza; scientists; pharmaceutical companies; safety; drugs
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First Casualty
60 Minutes tells the story of Navy pilot Michael Scott Speicher, the first American lost in the Gulf War. 60 Minutes reveals that the "US military likely left" Speicher in Iraq and then "four years later willingly passed on a chance to bring him or his remains home... There is a remote chance Speicher is a prisoner of Saddam Hussein. Speicher went down during the first mission of the first night of the Gulf War. Contrary to what his fellow pilots thought, no rescue mission was ever launched. After the war, contrary to what the Pentagon said, no one ever looked for his plane."
Tags: VIDEOCLIP; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Michael Scott Speicher; Navy; Gulf War; Iraq; casualty; Saddam Hussein; pilot
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"Who's Policing the Police?"
Investigative reporter Phil Williams and WTVF investigation into the operations of the Nashville Police Department uncovered a series of "cozy relationships" between the department and adult entertainment figures, convicted gamblers, city officials, and individuals in the athletic department at Vanderbilt University. As a result of the WTVF investigation several high-ranking police officials have been removed from duty, and the FBI opened an investigation into possible wide-spread department corruption.
Tags: VIDEOCLIP; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; law enforcement; corruption
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Marine Corps Toxic Water
"For nearly twenty years, the US Marine Corps knew thousands of Marines and their families had been exposed to toxic drinking water at a North Carolina training base. But most Marines were never told about their exposure to the toxins - until a Wisconsin woman called Fox 6 News." WITI-TV investigated the leak toxic chemicals into the water supply at Camp Lejeune, NC, that may have resulted in the contamination of nearly 200,000 Marines. The chemicals that leaked into the water supply at Camp Lejeune have been known to cause cancer, as well as birth defects, and may have affected more people than the Corps first realized.
Tags: VIDEOCLIP; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; military; Marine Corps; toxic chemicals
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Day Care Felons
"Residents of day care homes and centers in Florida are supposed to be screened for felony records. If the records are serious, the home or center is denied a license - presumably protecting the children from the threat." After being prompted by the story of a convicted felon dealing drugs out of a day care home, WKMG-TV uncovers a shocking problem in Florida's Department of Children and Families. Using computer-assited reporting WKMG found dozens of criminals living in day care homes unbeknownst to the state of Florida.
Tags: VIDEOCLIP; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; child care; criminals
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"What some car dealers don't want you to know"
KCBS-TV's undercover investigation "exposes how some major Los Angeles car dealerships were secretly and illegally overcharging car buyers - especially minority customers." In a three-month investigation KCBS-TV found that major car dealerships, some of which were even station advertisers, were inflating car prices by adding unnecessarily expensive options and raising interest rates. Some dealers forced Spanish speaking customers into signing contracts in English, which is a violation of California law.
Tags: VIDEOCLIP; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; automobiles; fraud; car dealerships; California; Web coverage
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California's Billion Dollar Rip-off
California's "Medi-Cal" program was designed to provided low cost health care to over 5 million poor and low-income Californians. KCBS-TV found that some wealthy California doctors are taking advantage of the Medi-Cal system by recruiting patients from the poorest parts of Los Angeles and giving them illegal kickbacks to come to their clinics. Doctors would then bill the Medi-Cal program for treatments or services that they may have never provided. The investigation also found that the California Department of Health knew of this practice but did little to control it.
Tags: VIDEOCLIP TAPE TRANSCRIPT medicine; health care; California