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 "teenagers" ...
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The Mysterious Death of Janie Ward
This hour-long report is a result of a five-year investigation into the death of a 16-year-old girl 20 years ago in a small town in the Ozarks. It's about two daughters -- one wealthy and popular (a cheerleader and beauty queen); the other poor and self-conscious. It's about two fathers -- one a powerful judge who allegedly shielded his daughter from the law he's sworn to uphold; the other a bail bondsman who is trying to avenge his daughter's death. And it's about one family's fight for justice against what they believe is a corrupt judicial system that closed ranks around the powerful judge to cover-up a murder. When 16-year-old Jamie Ward fell off a 9-inch porch in the woods near Marshall, Ark., on September 9, 1989, her parents refused to blieve that the fall had killed their healthy teenager. Instead, they began to suspect to suspect she was murdered by the judge's daughter. After years of demanding an investigation into her death, an independent medical examiner associated with Parents for Murdered Children exhumed Janie's body a second time for an extremely rare third autopsy. Because the case was 20 years old, most of the files were not digital; rather, the investigation focused on old-fashioned reporting: finding and interviewing eyewitnesses (all of whom had not been reinterviewed since the original investigation); analyzing inconsistencies in the witness statements, double-checking the forensics with independent experts.
Tags: autopsy; unsolved death; forensic science; criminal justice system; reopened cases; Arkansas
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Right By Miles
This story looked back to a traffic accident six years ago (2002) in which a car driven by a teenager ran off a back country road in the middle of the night and his passenger, a 16-year-old named Miles White, was killed. The polk County Shriff's Office investigated, ruled it a single car accident and charged the 19-year-old driver with DUI-manslaughter. The Times was able to show that the sheriff's office had engaged in a cover-up. It was not a single-car crash; it was caused by a Polk County sheriff's deputy, who, as it turned out, was a sexual predator who like teenage boys. He chased the boys that night, hit their rear bumper and ran them off the road. The Times showed that before the accident, the sheriff's office had been warned that they had a deputy who was using his undercover vehicle to stalk teenage boys. They had not heeded that warning and left him on the road. If he then caused an accident that killed a boy, the department would have been on the hook for multimillion dollar damages in a wrongful death lawsuit. The office chose instead to cover up the truth.
Tags: sheriff's department; Florida; car accidents; cover-up; sexual predators; wrongful dath
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Homicide 37
Of the 179 homicides in New Orleans during 2007, the Times-Picayune explored the city's high murder rate through the thirty seventh murder of the year. The story examines the failed justice system from the perspectives of the detectives, the suspect and the family of the victim.
Tags: Lance Zarders; juvenile court; Anthony Pardo; teenager; NOPD; St. Roch; Ak-47; lineup
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Baby-Faced Butchers
Realtor Michael McMorrow was murdered on May 23, 1997 in Central Park after being stabbed 34 times, disemboweled and thrown into the lake. The two killers were teenagers: a spoiled rich girl, Daphne Abdela and her working class boyfriend Christopher Vasquez.
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TYC Abuse Scandal
"This rolling investigation documents the sexual and physical abuse of teenaged inmates at het prisons operated by the Texas Youth Commissions, the state's juvenile justice agency. It reveals abuse, filthy living conditions, lax medical care, inept and uncaring administrators, troubled contractors, questionable business dealings and a brutal climate of fear and retaliation."
Tags: juvenile prisons; juvenile justice; abuse; sexual abuse; inmates; Texas Youth Commission
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Cleveland Gangs
In this two-part series, the CBS news team "take viewers on a journey through the eyes of a group of teenagers - age 15 to 17 - who are self-proclaimed current or ex-gang members. These stories not only provide viewers with a sense of what it is like to grow up on Cleveland's Eastside, but also provide a look at vital solutions from the government and from community groups."
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Against Their Will, Human Trafficking
Focusing on human trafficking among American teenagers. These teens are "seduced or kidnapped into a life of forced prostitution." Trafficking not only happened in the lower socio-economic or immigrant communities. CBS also examines "sex slavery in wealthy white communities." Finally They look at solutions.
Tags: human trafficking; sex slaves; sex slavery; Department of Health and Human Services; prostitution; kidnapping; runaways; Abolitionist church movement; NGO
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Teens at the Wheel
A special report by the Tribune examines the dangers of poorly trained teenage drivers. Photos of 59 Chicago-area teens who died in car accidents in the year 2006 are included in the package, which also has graphics and charts detailing the locations and numbers of deaths. Individual stories include police views, the grief of families whose children died, what some parents and young people are doing to raise awareness of the need to drive intelligently, and Illinois lawmakers' push for new laws regarding how to obtain and keep a driver's license.
Tags: Teen drivers; car accidents; teen driving deaths; seat belts; drivers license laws
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Are sex offenders invading MySpcae?
An look into whether sex offenders on the Treasure Coast list had personal pages on MySpace. The site is popular with teenagers and young adults, a key place to search when trying to meet minors to engage in sexual activity.
Tags: myspace.com; social networking; sexual assault; facebook
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Teens and Strangers
Children are taught to avoid strangers and dangerous situations, and should have these lessons ingrained by the time they are teenagers. The Early Show drove around in a van, attempting to lure teenagers - including students at Princeton University- into the car to find out just how well those lessons are learned, and how easy or difficult it would be to get a teenager to exhibit poor judgment. Using cover stories including being a film crew seeking young people for a commercial, and posing as a police officer, the show lured people into the van.
Tags: abduction; kidnapping; strangers; lure; The Early Show