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 "movies" ...
-
Louisiana Horror Movie
“Louisiana’s Horror Movie” grew out of our 2011 IRE award winning investigation “Hiding Behind the Badge”. That series ended with the guilty pleas of former Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Jiff Hingle and businessman Aaron Bennett. Through investigative determination, “Louisana’s Horror Movie” uncovered possible public corruption by a former FBI agent and looked at his questionable relationship with the Hingle. What led us to this discovery was a piece of “Hiding Behind the Badge” we felt had not been fully explored: the money Hingle made from the B.P. oil spill. Even after the initial stories were reported, we felt there was more there. So we kept digging. It wasn’t February of 2012 that we uncovered Hingle's ties to former FBI agent, Robert Isakson. We requested emails, looking for more information to connect the dots. We had to fight the current sheriff’s office for the emails and eventually got them. The emails helped us show an improper relationship between the Hingle and Isakson – now a businessman getting contracts from Plaquemines Parish. This series eventually launched another FBI investigation, this time with Isakson in the crosshairs.
Tags: FBI; FBI agents; corruption; broadcast
-
Sybil Exposed
The book is an investigative expose of Sybil, the 1970s-era bestseller book and TV movie about a woman who purportedly was possessed by sixteen separate selves. The investigation demonstrates that this story, though marketed as non-fiction, was mostly fiction.
Tags: Sybil; mulitple personality disorder; hoax
-
One Small Lot, One Big Mess
Long Island development group Utopia Studios, Ltd. "proposed a major development for the southeastern Connecticut region," with their takeover of "one of the most vital pieces of property in the region" approved by Preston, Connecticut voters. Utopia promised "a $1.6 billion project with theme parks and movie studios and 22,000 new jobs" and thus gained a lot of political support. But the Day "discovered that the principle Utopia developer, Joseph Gentile, had been sued in conjunction with a condominium project in New York City." Reporter Paul Choiniere investigated further, and found that Gentile's dealings on that property were questionable.
Tags: developers; Utopia Studios, Ltd.; Joseph Gentile; condominiums; construction code violations; construction
-
Wine Tasting Investigation
Inside Edition went to Santa Ynez, California - site of the movie "Sideways" - to look into the possibility that excessive wine tasting can render a person inebriated. While wine tasting is usually done in 1-ounce or slightly more portions, "local law enforcement officials told (Inside Edition) that wine tasters leaving the wineries late in the day to travel along the small two-lane roads create a huge risk to themselves and other drivers." The show found out about a fatal accident that occurred between the wineries and the main highway, with the reporters discovering that "the group had been wine tasting all day, and the driver was three times over the legal limit." Inside Edition "instituted teams to follow wine tasters throughout the day to see how much wine they were drinking before getting back in their cars." They saw one driver who had "nearly 30 tastes, or the equivalent of a bottle and a half of wine, in just five hours" attempt to drive home.
Tags: wine tasting; winery; driving under the influence; DUI; drunk driving; wine consumption
-
Spalliero's Empire
Developer Anthony Spalliero was charged and indicted by a federal grand jury in 2005 for bribing the former mayor and others in exchange for building and zoning approvals. Although the Asbury Park Press reported on Spalliero's close involvement with local officials since 2003, after his arrest the Press unearthed thousands of pages of documents detailing lawsuits, regulatory records, land transactions and other information detailing Spalliero's empire. Among other findings, the four-day series revealed that Spalliero maintained two families at once, videotaped a pornographic movie of a girlfriend having sex with another man, violated building laws and broke agreements with business partners.
Tags: corruption; building violations; New Jersey; Florida; Marlboro
-
Rebels on the Backlot: Six Maverick Directors and How They Conquered the Hollywood Studio System
This book grew out of Waxman's Hollywood coverage for the Washington Post. It examines a new, young generation of Hollywood directors in the 1990s. The book explores how the new artists adapt to the money-driven culture of Hollywood, and how the change affects their personal stake in the movie industry.
Tags: movies; entertainment; Hollywood; film; directors; actors
-
Telling the Truth: Encounters with Schwarzenegger
This story brought to light allegations of sexual harassment against Arnold Schwarzenegger. The reporters had heard rumors of his inappropriate behavior and tracked down the woman who had made such claims; the story was especially important because the investigation was begun immediately after he announced his bid for Governor of California.
Tags: harassment; Hollywood; movie industry; politicians
-
Reel life vs. real life
"Using many of the same categories found in the 2000 Census, USA Today tallied statistics about age, race and gender of the actors and characters in 2001 movies that played on at least 600 screens." It found that Hispanics lag, women are underrepresented, men are older and women are younger, and fewer major movie characters are married.
Tags: Hollywood; movies; film industry; entertainment industry; actors; minorities
-
Secret Justice
ABA Journal investigates how undisclosed settlements to lawsuits and closed-door proceedings shut out public scrutiny. The article finds that this practice reduces accountability and eliminates precedents. The author points to several examples of sealed court files, some of which involving giant corporations and movie stars. The major example is about a reporter, Kristen Mitchell with the Wilmington, N.C., Morning Star, who was fined for obtaining a sealed file inadvertently handed her by a court clerk. The file contained information on a secret settlement of an environmental lawsuit between Conoco Inc. and residents of a mobile home park. The newspaper, also, was ordered to pay Conoco $500,000, the journal reports.
Tags: media rights; legislation; Merrill Lynch; First Amendment; freedom of the press; judges; lawyers; settlement agreements; Sondra Locke; Clint Eastwood; 3M; jurors; business
-
Hollywood Wars
Brill's Content looks at "the history of a Hollywood-Pentagon alliance that can often blur the line between entertainment and propaganda." The investigation is based on hundreds of pages of military documents that have made "the nature and scope of the Pentagon's dealings with Hollywood filmmakers ... suddenly more vivid." The article reveals that "filmmamkers who want their movies about the military to look real seek assistance from the Pentagon, but the military imprimatur comes with a price." Filmmakers can get "nearly cost-free access to the military's equipment", if they implement changes to the script "to ensure ... that the military is presented accurately and in positive light." The story includes a list of well-known movies that either exemplify the military's influence, or have been disapproved by the Pentagon. The author points to the CIA as another government organization that tries to influence filmmakers.
Tags: movies; film industry; Armed Forces; Pentagon; CIA; screenplay; screenwriters; producers; Apocalypse now; Catch-22; Independence Day; Forrest Gump; Goldeneye; Born on the Fourth of July; Armageddon