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 "air conditioning" ...
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iLied: Exposing Mike Daisey’s Fabrications of Apple’s Supply Chain in China
This two-part investigation exposed fabrications in American monologuist Mike Daisey’s narrative about the Chinese factory workers who make Apple products, and also gave a voice to the Chinese men and women who were at the center of the international debate about factory conditions. Daisey had gained a worldwide platform as Apple’s most prominent critic; Reporter Rob Schmitz’s investigation proved that the details on which Daisey had built his compelling story were fabricated. Schmitz’s investigation aired on Marketplace and This American Life on March 16, 2012 and made international headlines, sparking a debate about journalistic truth. Schmitz’s April 2012 follow-up stories broadcast the points-of-view of actual Chinese factory workers and their employers, and helped re-shape the narrative about working conditions at Apple suppliers. Schmitz’s investigation became the most downloaded story in each program’s history. Hundreds of media organizations covered the work, sparking thousands of news articles and commentaries about the findings and the issues it raised. Online components of the work – which included podcasts, photo, and video – demonstrated the reach and longevity of multimedia storytelling; a video Schmitz shot of an iPad assembly line went viral with more than 2 million views on Youtube. The work continues to be discussed in case study format at journalism schools around the U.S., including an ethics class at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Tags: journalism; journalism education; multimedia storytelling
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"Furnasman"
The heating and air conditioning company, Furnasman, routinely fabricated problems in their client's homes in an attempt to sell them unneeded equipment. Canadian Broadcasting Corp. set up hidden cameras in different homes and asked the company to clean and evaluate the furnaces. They found most technicians were not doing their job and were making bogus claims on the state of the furnaces to make a sale.
Tags: Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning; HVAC; air conditioning; furnace; Red River College; Brian Baker; Dave Warriner
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Sacrificed to Shale
A small town, Dish, TX, which is surrounded by gas well compressor stations and wells. Recently, there was an air study done, which revealed several poisons being released by the gas wells well above EPA regulations. Further, these chemicals in the air “were discovered to possibly be responsible for animals and trees dying in the area”.
Tags: air conditions; environment; toxic; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Denton County; Barnett Shale; residents
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Under Fire: Discrimination and Corruption in the Texas National Guard
The Texas National Guard had developed a culture of harassment, humiliation and undue punishment for young women serving in the force. Findings on the practices resulted in the discharge of three commanding Generals. KHOU fought an uphill battle to gain trust of Guard members who have been conditioned to distrust the media.
Tags: Texas; National Guard; Harassment; Women; humiliation; discrimination; KHOU; investigation; military; Air National Guard; corruption; Generals;
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Under Fire: Discrimination and Corruption in the Texas National Guard
The Texas National Guard had developed a culture of harassment, humiliation and undue punishment for young women serving in the force. Findings on the practices resulted in the discharge of three commanding Generals. KHOU fought an uphill battle to gain trust of Guard members who have been conditioned to distrust the media.
Tags: Texas; National Guard; Harassment; Women; humiliation; discrimination; KHOU; investigation; military; Air National Guard; corruption; Generals;
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Lights On, Nobody Home
A WPIX-TV investigation reveals that the New York City Board of Education wastes "hundreds of thousands of dollars" on keeping its main administration building lit and air-conditioned 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. The Board of Education "has publicly declared itself unable to operate under City budget restrictions", but WPIX-TV found it could save money simply by "flicking a switch."
Tags: TAPE; New York Board of Education; electricity; waste; air conditioning
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Broken homes
A New York Times investigation reports on the poor conditions in which mentally ill people live in the state of New York. Many of them die prematurely in adult homes typically run by businessmen with no mental-health training, and troubled by systemic problems like untrained workers and gaps in supervision. Some of the major findings are that the government does little to hold the home operators accountable; many deaths go unreported; residents have been pressured to undergo medical treatment they do not need so that operators can earn Medicare and Medicaid billings; mentally ill people suffer from lack of air conditioning in oppressively hot summer days. "The mentally ill are among the most powerless of all populations, lacking the political influence to demand change," the Times reports.
Tags: mental health; retardation; abuse; neglect; suicide; caregivers; poverty; deaths; health care; minorities; disabilities; disabled
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Cold Calculation: Trial of a Sacked Pilot Offers an Inside Look at Airlines and Safety; Flight in Ice Storm, Deemed Risky by Carrier, Follows String of Alleged Errors; Hands off the Screwdriver
Carley examines the case of former American Eagle pilot Michael LaGrotte, who was fired by the airline when he aborted a flight after noticing ice forming on the wings. American Eagle officials say LaGrotte should have piloted the plane to warmer air rather than turn around and land at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Carley investigates LaGrotte's claim that American Eagle pushes its pilots to fly in unsafe conditions, and examines the fine line airlines must tread between safety and profits.
Tags: American Eagle; Michael LaGrotte; airports; airlines; Wall Street Journal; William M. Carley
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Floyd's Heating & Air Conditioning
A KETV investigation revealed that an Omaha-area heating and cooling company "fraudulently replaces furnaces and air conditioners that don't need replacing.... also reveals the company has failed to get the city permits required to install the equipment."
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1998 IRE TV Award Winners and Finalists Tape.
The 1998 TV Award Winners and Finalists Tape is a compilation of 12 investigative stories. 1.) "Tomb of the Unknowns," CBS News. A 13-part series that forced the government to face the truth about how it defaced one of the nation's most sacred shrines and denied a grieving mother the truth about her son. See #15332. 2.) "The Deadly Trade in Fake Medicine," CBS News, 60 Minutes. Substandard medicine marketed by a secret network of manufacturers, peddlers make fortunes and regulators have failed to stop this deadly trade. See #15241. 3.) "Abuse of Power." ABC News 20/20. The U.S. military's power to strike back at personnel who are critical. Whistleblowers who expose misconduct, waste, fraud and abuse are told they are mentally ill. See #15282. 4.) "Shell Game." NBC News Dateline. A hidden camera investigation inside a plant that processes 2 million eggs a day, reveals eggs up to a month old, are mixed in with fresh eggs, rewashed, repacked and sold like new. See #15236. 5.) "Doublecross." ABC Primetime. This investigation reveals how the United States government turned a drug smuggler into a top informant and then allowed him to distribute cocaine into the United States. See #15251. 6.) "Fake Doctors, Real Dangers." CBS-2 News, Los Angeles. This series uncovers fake doctors all over Southern California running illegal clinics. See #15259. 7.) "Impact: Forced Sterilization." WXYZ investigates into the sterilization of thousands of men, women and children by the state government in Michigan. See #15373. 8.) "Oath of Silence." WMAQ. This four-month investigation exposes secret malpractice settlements that are costing taxpayers millions of dollars. See #15373. 9.) "Troubled Transit." WTXF, Philadelphia. This three-month investigation of the Septa Public Transit in Philadelphia reveals some of the transit workers are not doing the jobs the taxpayers are paying them to do. See #15221. 10.) "Olympic Bribery Scandal." KTVX. Salt Lake Olympic Organizers have been spending thousands of dollars to pay the college tuition of international Olympic associate's relatives. See # 15201. 11.) "Stadium Investigation." WCPO, Cincinnati. Hamilton County in Cincinnati have spent more than a billion dollars to build and finance a new stadium, promising more business for minorities and women. A five-month investigation uncovers many broken promises. 12.) "Mismanagement 101." KWTV, Oklahoma City. Millions of dollars in overspending, fraud, waste and allegations of cover-up. Example; 50 construction employees were diverted from air conditioning the elementary school to building an all automatic, high-tech bathroom located just outside the superintendent's office. See # 15303.
Tags: TAPE; Vietnam; Freedom of Information Act; FOI; Computer Assisted Reporting; CAR; IRE; no transcripts.