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 "chance" ...
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Bronx Prosecutors Drop Staggering Loads of Cases
A nine-month investigation by WNYC’s Ailsa Chang revealed that people accused of crimes in the Bronx have a greater chance of walking away without charges than anywhere else in New York City. Chang’s two-part series shows that the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office declines to prosecute thousands more cases than do the four other District Attorney offices. And the main reason is a troubling internal policy that no other prosecutors’ office in the city follows: In the Bronx, a case is dropped if a victim doesn’t cooperate within the first 24 hours after an arrest. Bronx prosecutors declined almost one quarter of all their cases in 2011. That’s nearly four times the average rate Manhattan and Brooklyn prosecutors declined cases.
Tags: Crimes; charges; prosecutors; declined cases; victim cooperation
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The Columbus Dispatch: Credit Scars
The Dispatch documented the plight of thousands who, through no fault of their own, have been denied the chance to buy a home or a car, take out a loan for college, rent an apartment, land a job, join the Armed Forces, receive medical care or even open a checking account.
Tags: Credit cards; credit reports; checking accounts; banks
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Local officials are likely to profit from fracking in Southern Tier
Local government officials have been lobbying the state to the controversial oil and gas extraction process known as fracking. But when they spoke at public hearings and pushed in other forums, were they just representing their communities, or did they have more at stake? In a four-month investigation, SUNY New Paltz students reviewed thousands of public records in two states. The investigation found more than 30 locally elected officials who have been outspoken proponents for fracking. Public records and additional examinations identified about 20 percent of those with more than political philosophy at stake — the chance to gain personally and financially. To open government advocates such as Common Cause, these instances raise concerns about transparency and conflicts of interest among locally elected officials. About six months after publication, and after further moves by local officials to press the state to approve fracking, the state attorney general has launched inquiries into whether local officials have violated conflicts of interest.
Tags: Oil; gas; oil and gas extraction; fracking
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A Matter of Risk: Radiation, Drinking Water and Deception
You probably use it every day. And you probably think it's relatively safe. But imagine if your home's tap water was actually: making the plumbing so radioactive it could set off a Geiger counter, releasing a dangerous gas whenever you took a shower or ran a dishwasher, exposing you to a 1 in 400 chance of cancer just by regularly drinking it. And imagine if the people who were supposed to protect you from this situation not only knew about it and failed to do much of anything, but instead spent decades covering it up. That's exactly what the KHOU I-team discovered to be the case for half a million and more Texas consumers during its 12-month investigation into the quality of the state's drinking water.
Tags: tap water; radioactive; cancer; drinking water
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Little Known Colleges Exploit Loopholes to Make Millions Off Foreign Students
The Chronicle found numerous colleges -- most of them unaccredited -- exploit byzantine federal regulations, enrolling almost exclusively foreign students and charging them upward $3,000 for a chance to work legally in the United States. Enabled by lax state regulations, these colleges usher in thousands of foreign students and generate millions of dollars in profit because they have the power, bestowed by the U.S. government, to help students get visas.
Tags: college; foreign; student; visa; unaccredited; college; university
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Murder Mysteries
Scripps Howard developed a computer algorithim that can identify suspicious clusters of homicides of women that have a significant chance of containing serial murders.
Tags: serial killer; murder; victim; demographic; offenders
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CBS News Investigates: Veterans
The story tackled the tough subject of military veterans who commit crimes when they come back from war. New York state judges were the first to create Veteran's Courts as a way to give men and women who suffered the trauma of war a second chance. This is not a get out of jail free card, but a helping hand for military veterans who are willing to go through rehab.
Tags: military; rehab; veteran; war; Veteran's Courts
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Blood Trade: Memphis and the Mexican Drug War
A man in Memphis plays a crucial role in funding a violent Mexican drug cartel that ships cocaine and marijuana around the U.S. In an unprecedented investigation, the reporter travels with Mexican sources involved in the drug cartel, giving American readers the chance to see the Mexican side of the story.
Tags: Mexico; drug cartel; drug trade; drug war; Memphis
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Immigrants and the California Economy
This in-depth review of immigrant labor in California shows that the government has broken its promise to keep illegal immigrants from obtaining work. The chances of an illegal immigrant being arrested are extremely low -- 1,300 to 1.
Tags: illegal immigration; immigration; immigrant labor; immigration enforcement; unskilled economy
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Amazing Profits?
Many Americans are struggling to find and keep jobs in this economic recession, so when they have a chance to earn money; it is something they will jump on. An infomercial, which claims it is possible for ordinary people to make huge profits from buying tax foreclosed homes, has caught the attention of many desperate people. These people do not need real estate experience or a large amount of capital to beginning this program. But it is discovered this program is deceptive and has sold “15 thousand” DVDs and brochures a week, which explains the program.
Tags: scams; FOIA; John Beck; Free and Clear Real Estate System; customers; Family Products; telemarketer; television; taxes