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 "defamation" ...
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Platts: The Ugly Side of the U.S. Oil and Gas Boom
There is a nasty and ugly side to the oil and natural gas boom that the U.S. has enjoyed in recent years — a side that involves allegations of fraud, breach of contract and taking advantage of poor or unsophisticated landowners, among other things. This story is significant because these incidents are seldom reported, as the landowners, energy companies and other stakeholders have little to gain and a lot to lose by talking to journalists. But I managed to pull back the curtain on these little-known conflicts by piecing together court files and by interviewing key players, including a woman who could have been sued for “commercial defamation” for talking to me. Through these hard-to-get interviews and court documents, my story paints a colorful and sometimes disturbing portrait of the growing number of conflicts between landowners and the oil and natural gas companies that drill on their lands.
Tags: Oil; gas; natural resources; fraud; drill
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Connected
“Two former judges, already facing charges for accepting kickbacks, are accused of fixing a $3.5 million defamation case against The Citizens’ Voice newspaper at the behest of a convicted mob boss. The stories establish various ties between the judges and the mobster. The state Supreme Court eventually granted the newspaper a new trial.”
Tags: William D'Elia; Michael T. Conahan; Mark A. Ciavarella; court system; jail; verdict; direct connections; Robert J. Kulick; gambling site; court cases
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Paying for Schools
This series of stories takes an in-depth look at how schools are financed in California. The investigation found it to be an incredibly convoluted and inequitable system. The distribution of money from district to district is uneven, and politics often determine who gets the most money. A lot of the money is doled out based on outdated programs with little connection to modern day needs in schools. Much of the money is released to schools with little or no state monitoring of whether the programs are working or even happening, and some actually aren't.
Tags: spending; school programs; Governor Gray Davis; school budget; school funding; Gifted and Talented Education; Bilingual Teacher Training; Gang Risk Intervention; West Contra Costa Unified School District; Dropout Prevention Program; Anti-Defamation League; English Language Acquisition Program; Department of Education; Economic Impact Aid; California Legislature; Senate Rules Committee; public education
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If This Ain't Libel
Brill's Content looks at a libel case involving the Drudge Report, "the popular website of conservative cybergossip Matt Drudge." The story describes how Drudge has reported that Sidney Blumenthal, a former journalist and an assistant to the president in the Clinton's administration, "has spousal abuse past that has been effectively covered up..." The article focuses on the negative emotions that Jacqueline Blumenthal, Sidney's wife, has experienced because of the defamatory report. "It should not be acceptable for an Internet publisher - or any other publisher - to fact-check reputaion-damaging gossip by disseminating it, then issue a retraction only if and when it becomes apparent that the victim is going to sue," the Brill's Content concludes.
Tags: politics; Matt Drudge; defamation; reputation; public figures; AOL; spousal abuse; White House; journalistic standards; ethics; litigation; courts
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No title (id: 13211)
For years, Private Jim Burmeister and his buddies proudly displayed swastikas in their barracks at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Esquire investigates why it took the murder of a black couple for the U.S. Army to notice its white-Supremacist problem. (April, 1996)
Tags: Voll A few good nazis Skinheads Military Racism Anti-Defamation League 10 pgs.
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No title (id: 9674)
San Francisco Examiner describes spying done by a police intelligence officer who was paid by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith; individuals belonging to over 1,000 political, professional and ethnic organizations were spied on, Jan. 7, 1993.
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No title (id: 8208)
CNN Special Assignment (New York) reports on alleged sexual activity between Assembly of God evangelist Jimmy Swaggart and a prostitute; also looks into the defamation court case between Swaggart and another Louisiana-based evangelist, June 27, 1991.
Tags: TAPE