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 "medical examiner" ...
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Death in Police Custody
An investigation into the death of a man who suffocated while in the back of a Milwaukee police squad car found officers had violated department policy in not seeking help and the medical examiner missed key signs pointing toward the officers’ actions being a factor in the death. The stories prompted a wave of action and reform: new departmental rules, a public inquest, an FBI investigation and the resignation of the medical examiner.
Tags: Police; death; department policy; medical examiner
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The Curious Case of Sgt. Drenth
A decorated and highly respected Phoenix police sergeant is found dead on the ground in an alley near the State Capitol complex, the victim of a shotgun blast to the head. The weapon is discovered on his body in a manner which several first-responders later claim looked "staged" by another party or parties. Almost a year after Sgt. Sean Drenth's death, the county Medical Examiner rules that the manner of his death was a "suicide," not a "homicide" or "undetermined." The enclosed two-part series was published after the reporter investigated this complex and ultimately tragic case for several months. A few weeks ago, the county Medical Examiner personally told Sgt. Drenth's widow that he personally will revisit the case in light of the revelations in the story and other relevant reasons.
Tags: Death; police sergeant; shotguns
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C-HIT: Pharma Perks
The Affordable Care Act requires pharmaceutical companies to publicly report all payments to physicians by September 2013. Some drug companies have already compiled, but few consumers know that the information is available or how to access it. What this story did is disclose for the first time for CT consumers: 1) how many doctors in Connecticut are high-prescribers of certain psychotropic and pain medications, (108) 2) the cost of written prescriptions (hundreds of thousands of dollars in some cases) 3) how many of these doctors received payments from drug companies (at least 43) 4) and the amounts that the doctors received from the drug companies ($30,000 - $99,000) It also reported that only 3 doctors on the high-prescribing drug list have been disciplined by the state Medical Examining Board.
Tags: Affordable Care Act; pharmacy; physicians; prescriptions; drugs; Medical Examining Board
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Chimps: Life in the Lab
The series examines in detail the ethics and scientific necessity of medical research using chimpanzees. Focusing on a group of about 200 chimps in a federal facility in New Mexico, the stories showed the long-term mental and physical impact of constant medical experimentation of the chimpanzees, and it was revealed how scientists were moving toward a consensus that chimp experimentation was not scientifically necessary.
Tags: chimps; monkeys; animals; animal testing
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Failed Justice: Investigations in Minnesota
An MPR News investigation of an obscure murder case in rural Minnesota revealed shoddy work and incorrect testimony by the state's most prominent medical examiner, who has testified at more than 100 murder trials over the past three decades.
Tags: Minnesota; Coroner; Death; Incorrect Testimony; Shoddy Work
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ESPN, Outside the Lines: Painkiller Misuse Numbs NFL Pain
The story examines the degree to which current and former NFL players used and misused prescription pain medications.
Tags: painkillers; drugs; NFL; football
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System Failure
Investigation into the shoddy work on an MN medical examiner, which resulted in wrongful convictions.
Tags: Murder; Medical Examiners
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Post Mortem: Death Investigation in America
"This series focused on the nation's death investigation system, the more than 2,300 coroner and medical examiner offices responsible for probing sudden and suspicious fatalities. They found a profession plagued by a widespread lack of resources, a lack of national standards or regulation, and a drastic shortage of qualified doctors."
Tags: post mortem investigation; coroners; medical examiners; broadcast
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Commonwealth Games Medical Scam
The story examines the massive overshoots in the budget for the Commonwealth games. The investigation focused on the purchase of highly inflated medical equipment made by the state government for players and spectators of the games.
Tags: Commonwealth Games; Delhi; sports; Commonwealth
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DA Launches Lawmaker Inquiry
The Oklahoman examines whether a controversial state representative had schemed to get a state senator a newly created state job at the medical examiner's office. The representative's alleged motive was so a buddy could run for the Senate seat.
Tags: medical examiner; senate; state lawmaker; scandal