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 "public servants" ...
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Washington Mardi Gras, Pay to Party
Local public officials and employees attend D.C. Mardi Gras festivities each year at taxpayer expense. Is it all work or play? Reporters found local government spent more than $80,000 for the festivities in 2009.
Tags: Mardi Gras; taxpayer; government; city; finance; money; D.C.; Mystick Krewe; civil servants
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Palace Revolt
This investigation, "tells the definitive story of how a small coterie of conservative Bush appointees led a quietly effective rebellion against the administration’s most controversial polices in the war on terror. Principally residing in the Justice Department, relying on the law and their conscience, these brave public servants took on powerful hardliners in the office of Vice President Dick Cheney, the Defense Department, and elsewhere.
Tags: politicians; politics; federal government; War on Terror; Iraq; Afghanistan
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Probing into the Wealth of Public Servants
The Korean Broadcasting System investigative team researched the land holding and tax records of hundreds of high-ranking South Korean government officials and found numerous instances of tax evasion and speculative real estate purchases by officials. The investigation led to changes in South Korean law regarding declaration of properties of public servants.
Tags: South Korea; tax evasion; tax records; land records; real estate; real estate speculation; public officials
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Premium Pensions
Three stories examine the abuses of California's generous public pensions system. "Chief's Disease," reveals that the highest ranking officers of the California Highway Patrol often made injury claims as retirement drew near, so their pensions were supplemented by workplace injury settlements. "Workers' comp judges cash in," showed that judges who decided worker's comp claims were themselves six times more likely to claim job related injuries than their judicial colleagues in other parts of the system. "How state law fattens pensions," deals with California's law that allows pensions to be calculated based on the single highest year of salary a public worker achieves. California is the only state in the country that has such a law. There is also supplemental material that followed the publication of the series.
Tags: public pensions; workman's compensation; fraudulent claims; state government; local government; public servants
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On the City's Tab
The Fresno Bee's Davis did a detailed examination of the mayor of Fresno, California's expense account and found a lack of oversight, some double-billing and sometimes a stretching or disregarding of rules. Compared to past mayors, the current mayor Alan Autry, a republican, spends more and takes more liberties with his expense account. The same is true of some city council members, but to a lesser degree.
Tags: Expense accounts; public servants; city budget; malfeasance
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The National Institutes of Health: Public Servant or Private Marketer?
This series examines how payments from drug companies to scientists at the National Institutes of Health cause a conflict of interest that affects health care and policy recommendations. Even under the partial reforms announced by the presidentially appointed NIH director in 2004, some NIH scientists would still be able to take compensation such as stock options and consulting fees.
Tags: conflict of interest; moonlighting; prescription drugs; drug companies
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Bribery deal on live broadcast
Show TV exposes two government employees, one of them a senior official in the prime minister's office, accepting bribes in a live broadcast. The corrupt officials were filmed by secret cameras as they negotiated with a journalist posing as a businessman anxious to strike a deal. The bribe-takers agreed to help secure state funding for a tourism project in return for payments of more than $140,000, and were arrested by plain-clothes policemen after they promised to help the bogus businessman to get his hands on government funds.
Tags: undercover investigations; hidden cameras; business; money and politics; public servants
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Public Servants or Profiteers?
Insight investigates the practice of former members of Congress turning into lobbyists. Many lawmakers quit the job for which they have been elected, and join special-interest law and lobbying firms, the story reveals. Some take with them not only knowledge, experience and privileged access to decision-maker, but also treasures of congressional documents. Event though former congressmen are banned from lobbying for one year after they formally leave the Capitol Hill, there are many loopholes in this ban, the Insight finds. The reported controversies are exemplified with the cases of Norman Mineta, a California Democrat, Bill Gradison, an Ohio Republican, Bob Michel, an Illinois Republican, former House Speaker Tom Foley, a Washington Democrat, Alex McMillan, a North Carolina Republican, William Ford, a Michigan Democrat, and J. Roy Rowland, a Georgia Democrat, and many others.
Tags: politics; politicians; influence; lawmaking; money and politics; Lockheed Martin Corp.; Hogan & Hartson; White House; civil rights
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A College Becomes the Family Business
The Chronicle of Higher Education investigates why the new president of the Southwestern Michigan College is the son of the board chairman. "No one is questioning the new president's academic credentials, but some people in town and nationally see his appointment as symptomatic of problems that arise when one person runs a college for too long," the Chronicle reports.
Tags: Fred L. Mathews; David M. Mathews; law; taxpayers; faculty members; ethical violation; ethics; public servants; students; learning
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Promise Made, Promise Broken?
WSAZ examines how a congressional candidate, Jim Humphrey, has violated his own campaign promise to keep people's medical records private. The report reveals that the pregnancy results of the receptionist at the Humphrey's law firm have been stolen by co-workers. The reporters draw the conclusion that Humphrey's firm has "failed to come to aid of someone who says her medical records were stolen, after promising to do that as a public servant."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; employment; private information; political campaign