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 "blood donation" ...
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Hepatitis C: Silent Alarm
This series documented the government's numerous failures to warn the American public about hepatitis C, a disease that has infected more than 4 million people in the United States. The series found that the federal government promised repeatedly to raise a public alarm about the disease but reneged almost every time. As a result, most people with hepatitis C don't even know they have it and may be spreading it. The series also found that Congress and CDC give hepatitis C a fraction of the funding and attention they give other disease such as West Nile, that has killed several hundreds. The government promised a search to find nearly two hundred thousand patients who received infected blood transfusions before 1992, when a test was available to screen out infected blood, but four years later, the campaign had stalled. The blood industry in the 1980's delayed a screening test six years that could have prevented hepatitis C in more than 300,000 patients who received blood transfusions. the government never ordered the test even though it was aware of the seriousness of the disease.
Tags: hepatitis c; virus; AIDS; public alarm; Congress; Center for Disease Control and Prevention; HCV; funding; West Nile; infected blood transfusions; infected blood; blood industry; screening test; donated blood; CDC; CDC spending; HCV money; National Institute of Health; Health and Human Services; U.S. Food and Drug Administration; FDA's Office of Blood Research and Review; Blood Products Advisory Committee; Advisory Committee on Blood Safety and Availability; blood banks; Community Blood Center of Kansas City; Oklahoma Blood Institute
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Red Cross Investigation
CBS investigates "widespread mismanagement and fraud" the Red Cross has been grappling with. Based on internal memos and audits, the series reports on how Joseph Lecowitch, head of the New Jersey chapter stole more than one million dollars. Other findings are that many chapters have not remitted their Sept. 11 donations to national headquarters; chapters are dipping into the National Disaster Fund "for unnamed purposes;" blood has been taken from donors who said they tested positive for AIDS or were not properly screened; and suspected transfusion-related diseases are not investigated.
Tags: Elizabeth Dole; lobbying; FDA; safety; health; embezzlement; fraud; charity; 9/11; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT
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Sept. 11 Donors a Windfall for Blood Trade
A Palm Beach Post investigation reveals that "much of the blood that Americans donated to victims of the Sept. 11 attacks ended up being sold to multinational companies and other countries. A month after the attacks, U.S. blood exports jumped 48 percent to $90 million, the highest monthly total on record. American blood industry officials don't want to talk about overseas shipments, fearing the psychological fallout resulting from the over-collection and export of Sept. 11 blood would discourage donors, who are routinely told their blood will stay in the community."
Tags: Americans; blood donation; American Red Cross; export; September 11; terrorist attacks
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Drunk At The Wheel: A Battle Not Won
The Indianapolis Star reports on a Richard Sallee, a judge who had twice as many aquittals in drunken driving cases than other judges; on defense attorneys for drunken drivers who also work as judges hearing druken driving cases; the drop in conviction and the continuation in casualties; the ability of convicted drunken drivers to avoid jail time; and the battle over reducing legal drinking limits.
Tags: drunk driving; Richard Sallee; blood alcohol level; legal drinking limits; alcohol industry donations; drunken driving fatalities
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1999 IRE National Conference Show and Tell Tape #8
1999 IRE National Conference (Kansas City) Show and Tell Tape #8 is the eighth of a nine-part series. This tape includes: 1.) Diane Charles (WDIV-Detroit) Water drainage system causes high erosion, leaving houses on the brink of a cliff. County refuses to fix the problem...even though the erosion was predicted 30 years earlier. 2.) Mark Lagerkvist (News 12 - Long Island) Questionable campaign finance contributions. Starts at race track and continues horse analogy throughout. 3.) Deborah Sherman (WFXT - Boston Fox) Costa Rican trips for child sex. Actually spoke with girls who used to get paid by American tourists for sex. Focuses on one area man charged with this crime. 4.) Jennifer Krause (WTVF-Nashville) Feed the Children rip-off. employees taking home thousands of food items and boxes filled with clothes that were supposed to go to the needy. 5.) Miguel Sancho (Inside Edition) Carnival cruise ship come-ons. Staff on these cruise ships hitting on passengers and even having sex with them, sometimes consensual. Against policy to interact with passengers this way. Hidden camera of crew coming on to Inside Edition interns. 6.) Rich Fuentes (KVBC-Las Vegas) Safety test of cheaper, replacement after-market auto parts covered by most insurance companies instead of parts made by original car manufacturers. Not as safe and will cost more in the end. 7.) Phil Archer (KPRC-Houston) Employees steal and take home items donated to a local shelter. 8.) Deb Fountain (KSTP-Minneapolis) Another herbal supplement piece focusing on the dangerous ingredients in some products. Metabolife comes up again as a problematic substance known for causing high blood pressure.
Tags: TAPE; Kansas City; conference; no transcripts; IRE
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The Body Bazaar
"Blood, kidneys, eggs, sperm--name a body part, there's a price on it. Think of it as a commodities market for the 21st century." Discover takes a look at the controversy surrounding payment for organ donations and includes the legalities of donating. Advancements and history of organ donations profiled.
Tags: Cord-blood donating; Transplants; Transplantation technology; Bio-medical industry
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Bad Blood
This US News & World Report reprint examines the safety of donated blood. The investigation found that blood transfusions are far riskier that people believe. Profils a number of people who recieved blood transfusions and are now infected with HIV or have AIDS. The article finds that hospital patients are often not told of transfusion risks, official reports often understate the problem and that by March 1994, critical problems were still unresolved at blood centers, June 1994.
Tags: DC Newman Loeb Podolsky CAJ CAR Red Cross FDA FOIA Hemophilia 33 pages
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No title (id: 7584)
KTRK-TV (Houston) uncovers a scam by the management of the largest Texas coast charity blood bank to sell to the highest bidder blood and plasma donated freely by Houston area residents; finds that management received bonuses of almost $1 million, September - October 1990.
Tags: TX Dolcefino
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No title (id: 6429)
KCCI-TV (Des Moines, Iowa) reveals a blood supplier that released HIV positive blood; also exposes a problematic plasma donation center; utilizes FDA reports obtained through a Freedom of Information request, Nov. 15 - 18, 1989.
Tags: TAPE; AIDS Oswalt
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No title (id: 310)
San Jose Mercury News article describes the dangers of contracting AIDS through donated blood; tells what blood banks are doing and what they should be doing to test for AIDS in donors' blood, May 1984.
Tags: CA blood banks