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 "beauty" ...
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U.S. Fails to Proect Workers in Anarctica
Anartica is a land that conjures images of brave explorers and dedicated scientists striving amid stark beauty. But an in-depth investigation reveals that is also a place where workplace safety severely lags, and injured workers face unforeseen obstacles to get compensation.
Tags: Worker's Compensation; Anartica; Obstacles; Workplace Safety
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"Mercury taints skin lighteners"
The Tribune decided to investigate a tip found in a New York Times story that suggested mercury might be present in certain beauty products. The Tribune tested 50 different skin-lightening creams purchased from various locations around Chicago and found that six contained enough mercury to be banned by federal law. When used over time, mercury can be cause health problems, including kidney damage.
Tags: mercury; skin-lightening cream; U.S. Food and Drug Administration; FDA; FOIA; Mercury Policy Project; EcoWaste Coalition
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The Mysterious Death of Janie Ward
This hour-long report is a result of a five-year investigation into the death of a 16-year-old girl 20 years ago in a small town in the Ozarks. It's about two daughters -- one wealthy and popular (a cheerleader and beauty queen); the other poor and self-conscious. It's about two fathers -- one a powerful judge who allegedly shielded his daughter from the law he's sworn to uphold; the other a bail bondsman who is trying to avenge his daughter's death. And it's about one family's fight for justice against what they believe is a corrupt judicial system that closed ranks around the powerful judge to cover-up a murder. When 16-year-old Jamie Ward fell off a 9-inch porch in the woods near Marshall, Ark., on September 9, 1989, her parents refused to blieve that the fall had killed their healthy teenager. Instead, they began to suspect to suspect she was murdered by the judge's daughter. After years of demanding an investigation into her death, an independent medical examiner associated with Parents for Murdered Children exhumed Janie's body a second time for an extremely rare third autopsy. Because the case was 20 years old, most of the files were not digital; rather, the investigation focused on old-fashioned reporting: finding and interviewing eyewitnesses (all of whom had not been reinterviewed since the original investigation); analyzing inconsistencies in the witness statements, double-checking the forensics with independent experts.
Tags: autopsy; unsolved death; forensic science; criminal justice system; reopened cases; Arkansas
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Indoor Tanning: Unexpected Danger
This survey of nearly 300 indoor tanning facilities around the country found evidence of widespread failures to inform customers about possible risks, including premature wrinkling and skin cancer, and to follow recommended safety procedures, such as wearing eye goggles. The tanning industry is minimally regulated, and compliance with the few existing rules is poor.
Tags: tanning beds; health; skin care; beauty; sunlight; skin cancer; melanoma
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A Questionable Connection
In conjunction with the Better Government Association, the Residents' Journal took on an 8-month investigation into dozens of contracts with the Chicago Housing Association, and their political links to CHA CEO Terry Peterson. What they found was that 62 companies with contracts through the CHA gave more than $250,000 to the 17th Ward Democratic Organization.
Tags: Chicago Housing Authority; real estate; housing; 17th Ward Democratic Organization; CAR
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Ugly Road to Beauty
Many Americans who are looking for cheap plastic surgery go to Mexico to find it. Gomez found that most clinics are uncredited and hire surgeons who are uncertified or are simply poor at the job. Those who want to get plastic surgery in Mexico are advised to do their homework before departing.
Tags: plastic suregery; beauty; surgical procedures; cosmetic surgery; physicians; doctors; medicine
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Scarred for Life
This investigation found that it is fairly common in San Francisco for phony doctors to use beauty shops as a place to perform illegal cosmetic procedures. The doctors do cosmetic surgeries ranging from collagen injections to breast enlargement, even though they are largely unlicensed to do those procedures. As a result, many of their patients are facing serious health problems.
Tags: medical license; underground surgery; beauty salons; malpractice
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Dying to be Beautiful
This investigation looks at how Florida's Department of Health and Board of Medicine rarely disciplines cosmetic surgeons whose botched procedures are responsible for the deaths of their patients. One particular doctor settled out of court for several malpractice cases, botched numerous procedures, and was responsible for the death of one of his patients. However, despite complaints, the Department of Health and Board of Medicine did nothing to him or his practice. As a result of this investigation, the doctor in question had his license immediately suspended and a criminal investigation followed.
Tags: cosmetic surgery; Department of Health and Board of Medicine; patient death; medical malpractice; HIPAA; Florida Public Records law
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Deadly Moves
The Chicago Housing Authority's Plan for Tranformation was an effort to demolish the city's public housing buildings and replace them with mixed-income neighborhoods. But the demolition puts competing street gangs and drug dealers in small public housing spaces. The number of murders has increased since 2000. The reporters uncover whether this plan has a negative or positive impact, and what the city plans to do about the growing conflict.
Tags: Chicago Housing Authority; Plan for Tranformation; public housing; mixed-income neighborhoods; territorial disputes
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Were warning signs ignored?
The first modern suspension bridge in Maine and chosen as the world's most beautiful bridge in 1931, the Waldo-Hancock bridge now faces demolition. The Herald and the Maine Sunday Telegram detail this 2040-feet long bridge's history, its safety problems and their causes. Their investigation reveals that engineers had predicted structural problems with the suspension bridge's main cable as early as 1959. Furthermore, various state documents reveal confusion by state engineers over safety issues and also, the mistrust between state engineers and consultants who were hired.
Tags: MDOT; Gov.John Baldacci; Maine Historic Preservation Commission; bridge weight