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 "burden" ...
-
The Cash Machine
An investigation reveals that the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office seizes millions every year in small amounts of cash seized from individuals stopped by police— but not necessarily arrested, and often never convicted of a crime. Through the use of "civil asset forfeiture," the Philadelphia D.A. has created a kind of forfeiture assembly line, pursuing cases for small amounts of cash by the thousands via a system which proceeds without regard to guilt or innocence and which places a tremendous burden of proof on the property owner. This investigation is one of the first quantitative looks into a big-city forfeiture operation and includes statistics compiled from reviews of thousands of court records as well as data compiled by hand.
-
White Mayor's Burden
In the summer of 2011, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he was starting the Young Man's Initiative, a multi-million dollar public-private partnership to "help" young black and Latino male New Yorkers. What he neglected to mention in the rollout was that under his tenure, New York City has arrested record numbers of black and Latino young men using the controversial "stop and frisk" technique, has suspended record numbers of black and Latino men from schools, and has actively fought a federal lawsuit to make the Fire Department comply with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Tags: Civil Rights Act of 1964; Michael Bloomberg; Mayor; New York City; Young Man's Initiative Black; Latino; Fire Department
-
Seniors for Sale
A look into Washington's adult homes for vulnerable adults reveals that thousands of elderly were drugged into submission or left without proper medical treatment for weeks by amateur caregivers. At least 236 deaths were believed to be the result of neglect or abuse in the homes. To reduce the state's Medicaid burden, thousands of nursing-home residents were relocated to less-expensive homes which brought harm to many of the adults.
Tags: elderly; negligence; abuse; Medicaid;
-
Public Pensions: A Soaring Burden
The series included an in-depth look at the questionable public pension practices in Arizona which were costing taxpayers nearly $1.4 billion. The findings prompted a discussion of pension reform among elected officials, as well as support for reform proposals in the 2011 legislative session.
Tags: pension; public pension; public records; pension systems; taxpayer money
-
Pension Bonanza
The state of Illinois is in a large amount of debt due to its pension plan, which is causing services to be eliminated. The pension plan has allowed some government retirees to become millionaires and others earning “at least $100,000 a year”. This is one of the reasons the state is in large debt and the fact the pension plan is costing “more than $800 million a month”.
Tags: workers; taxes; taxpayers; economy; expense; burden; retirement; benefits; money; Quinn
-
Out in the Cold
The story details the Department of Labor's Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act, a "worker's-comp program for former nuclear-weapons workers that acknowledges the link between long-term radiation exposure and several types of cancer, and promises compensation for cancer victims." While the department maintains that the program is "claimant-friendly," the program puts the "burden of proof of radiation exposure on sick and dying claimants who have no means to do so."
Tags: EEOICPA; nuclear weapons; radiation exposure; cancer; compensation; worker-comp; claimants
-
Cybercrime, Inc.; Meth addicts' other habit: Online theft; Cyber safecrackers break into online accounts with ease; This little fob could foil a cyber bank robber; Net crooks con Americans into web of crime; Unprotected PCs can be hijacked in minutes; The rise of zombie computers -- Are hackers using your PC to spew spam and steal?; Tech industry has no unified defense system
These USA Today reporters set out to delineate the underlying economic drivers of cyber crime. On Sept. 8, 2004, Achohido and Swartz were the first to comprehensively describe how cyber crooks systematically took control of millions of home computers, turning them into zombies to carry out various fraud schemes. An accompanying cover story took big tech suppliers to task for placing an unfair burden on consumers for keeping the Internet safe. A November 30 story reported the results of a honey pot test -- designed and overseen by the reporters -- showing how simply connecting a new PC to the Internet triggers nonstop break-in attempts by intruders. They also outlined what readers can and should do to protect themselves. These findings were only the beginning of their investigation.
Tags: cyber fraud; Internet; online
-
A Body's Burden
The authors tested a typical family's blood, hair, and urine for the presence of several everyday chemical contaminants known collectively as our "body's burden." The investigation revealed the presence of flame retardants, plastics, metals, PCBs, even the chemical precursors for Teflon and Gore-Tex in each family member, with concentrations in the children often far outpacing those in their parents.
Tags: pollution; contamination; public safety; health; chemical contamination; body burden; blood testing
-
Save Our Homes: Shifting the Burden
The authors investigated the effectiveness of the 1995 Save Our Homes constitutional amendment in Florida. The law was designed to prevent protect homeowners, but ended up constructing a web of unequal and unfair taxation. They authors explore the various affects, both positive and negative, of the law.
Tags: property taxes; state government; landlords; business; rent; mortgage
-
Generation Meth
"Generation Meth tackled the skyrocketing use of meth among Utah women and exposed the state's inadequate response to this epidemic...The series examined how meth addiction burdens Utah's courts, prisons, police agencies and child welfare systems.
Tags: drug use; narcotics; methamphetamine; child welfare; child abuse; health and human services