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 "satellite" ...
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The Fall of Ohio's Attorney General
While top state officials from Elliot Spitzer to Rod Blagojevich fell from grace in 2008, no one was pushed out the door through dogged reporting by the press -- in this case, The Columbus Dispatch -- quite like Ohio's attorney general, Marc Dann. Information from a variety of sources and examination of voluminous e-mails and documents led to stories detailing sexual harassment and a shockingly unprofessional, party-like atmosphere of high-ranking Dann officials, including ribald festivities at the so-called "Dannimal House," the condo where he lived along with a pair of top aides. The Dispatch also broke stories about other misdeeds ranging from questionable campaign expenditures, shaky hiring practices and suspect purchases, as well as a proposed trip by Dann to a "law enforcement conference" in Turkey with his female scheduler. Although her trip, bankrolled by homeland security money, was nixed, the paper documented how Dann called her (on the taxpayers' dime via satellite phone) more often than his wife. Dann, 45, later admitted an affair with the scheduler, 28.
Tags: misconduct; attorney general; Ohio; Marc Dann; resignation; sexual harassment; campaign finance
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Cyber-War
The series contains three articles detailing the extent of computer breaches, technology blunders and data theft that puts the U.S. defense industry, military and space agency in a vulnerable position.
Tags: NASA; Booz Allen Hamilton; computer; satellite; national security; espionage; microchip; networks;
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Code Red for JPS
"Code Red for JPS" is an examination of the problems of John Peter Smith Hospital, which with its satellite clinics makes up the Tarrant County public hospital system. The story includes patient, employee, and public officials' accounts of the dangerously poor care that JPS provides due to a variety of factors.
Tags: healthcare; hospital; misuse of funds; negligence; poor staffing; patient satisfaction
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Updated Version of Well Connected Media Tracker
In October 2006, Well Connected, a project of the Center for Public Integrity, updated its Media Tracker. The Tracker is a tool to "identify the source of news and information filtered to their community through newspapers, broadcast, cable, satellite, phone lines and broadband." The Tracker also features political information. This set of stories tells about the new version of Media Tracker, with background stories which profile many of the "top companies in broadcast television, radio, telephone, cellular, cable, broadband and satellite TV and radio."
Tags: Internet; Media Tracker; media ownership; Well Connected; information filters; Center for Public Integrity
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Vanishing Wetlands
The authors used satellite imagery to determine how many acres of Florida's wetlands had disappeared since 1990, when President George H.W. Bush promised to ensure no net loss of wetlands. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the wetlands, but the organization's record-keeping is so incomplete that they have no accurate record of how many acres of wetlands were saved and how many were destroyed. The reporters found that government records regarding the creation of new wetlands were full of "creative accounting and questionable science."
Tags: environment; wetlands; preservation; ecosystem; wildlife; Army Corps of Engineers; FOIA; data analysis; satellite imagery; mapping
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Tickets are Going Fast for Beachside Speeders
Despite their size, some of Florida's smaller cities are issuing more speeding tickets than the larger ones. According to this investigation Indialantic, one of the smaller cities, issues more tickets than the town has residents. While some blame the busy causeways that go through these towns, others believe it has more to do with rush-hour commuters taking shortcuts.
Tags: Brevard county; traffic enforcement; Melbourne Beach; Indialantic; Satellite Beach; speeding tickets
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Investigation of Racing Services Inc.
The Forum investigates a Fargo based company, Racing Services Inc, a private company that controlled betting locations. This company had satellite feeds at various locations to screen horse and dog races from around the country. As the reporters found out, this company had a controversial "rebate" system and they did not report almost 99% of these bets placed to the government.
Tags: Racing; horse racing; dog racing; betting; betting on horses; FOIA; gambling; betting for charities; money laundering; illegal gambling operation
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Lack of Intelligence
This story revealed serious issues within the National Reconnaissance Office, responsible for designing, building and operating America's fleet of multi-billion dollar spy satellites for the US intelligence community. Billion dollar cost overruns, conflicts of interest, mismanagement and technical failures all contributed to the problematic state of the NRO.
Tags: surveillance; spying; taxes; business; waste
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On Offense. As democrats learn art of skewering foe, Dan Carol is there. He digs up facts to wield when race gets rough, as this one just might. A list of 'generic attacks'
According to the article, "Mr. Carol isn't appearing in prime time at the Democratic convention. He isn't an employee of the Gore campaign or the Democratic National Committee. But as a consultant to the DNC, Democratic congressional campaigns and allied groups, he is part of a cadre of political warriors whose mastery of Information Age weapons is vital to Democrats' push to elect Al Gore and win control of Congress. Using television attack ads, internet sites, satellite interviews to targeted broadcast markets and blast fax and e-mail messages, they will seek to shred Mr. Bush's gauzy slogans by providing documentation that his Texas record and campaign proposals aren't 'compassionate' at all."
Tags: Al Gore; George Bush; politics; election; democrats; republicans; political attacks; consultant; Dan Carol; internet; campaigns; conventions
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Hope Sells
"Starting with casual introductions at public alternative health fairs and culminating inside clinics in Tijuana, PrimeTime followed the process through which a cancer patient can get scammed into paying tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars for useless, ineffective treatments.." Investigators found United States - based companies that operate illegal clinics in Mexico to offer alternative cancer treatments. Investigators went to the clinics, consulted experts and concluded that they made outrageous claims that could cost cancer patients their lives. The story shut down one clinic.
Tags: cancer treatment; sting operation; alternative medicine; chemotherapy; satellite clinics; quack; medicine; Mexico border; breast cancer; National Cancer Institute; Federal Trade Commission; Baja California