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 "threatening witnesses" ...
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Cyber Espionage: The Chinese Threat
It’s the biggest threat facing American business today but the least talked about by corporate executives. Experts at the highest levels of government agree, cyber espionage is threatening to steal American wealth, American jobs and ultimately America’s economic security and the biggest aggressor is China. Due to the nature of the crime, the cost to American businesses is nearly impossible to pinpoint. Experts say Chinese hackers are constantly probing corporate networks, sifting through endless amounts of data to decipher what is valuable intellectual property, chemical formulas or proprietary technology. One conservative estimate from the National Counter Intelligence Executive puts the cost of economic espionage at up to $400B annually, but the report states such estimates vary “so widely as to be meaningless,” reflecting the scarcity of data available. CNBC’s David Faber and the Investigations Inc. team spoke with many corporate executives about China’s aggressive effort to target American businesses and their most valuable assets, but many refused to comment on camera for our report, citing becoming more vulnerable to attack by speaking publicly about the issue. However, not one executive denied their company is at risk of cyber-attack on a daily basis or the possibility of losing valuable intellectual property to cyber spies. Government and industry experts we spoke with on-camera have witnessed such costly cyber-attacks during their careers and attest to the fact there are only two companies left in America today: Those who know they’ve been hacked and those who don’t. From a whistleblower claiming telecommunications giant Nortel was one of the first casualties of this all-out cyber war, to high profile and public attacks on Google and RSA, its clear defending against cyber espionage is the new normal for American business.
Tags: Chinese hackers; American businesses; cyber attacks; cyber espionage
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Many Bullets, Little Blame
This two-day series uncovered a significant, serious and growing problem in Kansas City: Police routinuely shut down investigations into nonfatal shootings because victims wouldn't talk or detectives had trouble finding them again. Reporter Christine Vendel spent months studying a year's worth of shooting reports, knocking on victims' doors, and interviewing police, experts and others. Her series revealed that 60 percent of the 2011 cases had been shut down, even in instances where other witnesses existed. Meanwhile, charges were filed in only 10 percent of cases, leaving nearly all shooters free to threaten, maim and possibly new victims. The second day of the series drew comparisions to domestic violence issues of 20 years ago, when those victims faced similar problems. Police, prosecutors, lawmakers and others worked on solutions back then -- but no one was working today to help shooting victims. Vendel's series changed that.
Tags: Police; shootings; victims; detectives; prosecutors
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Judge Hecht
Newly elected Superior Court judge, Michael Hecht, was accused of picking up "male prostitutes" and of threatening to kill one of them to keep him quiet. Reporters found a number of witnesses and sources in downtown Tacoma who backed up the scandalous claims. They also found that the police were in the middle of a similar investigation. Hecht denies all charges.
Tags: Judge Michael Hecht; Pierce County; Judge Sergio Armijo; Tacoma
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An American Family
This year-long series describes parolee Luis Aguilar and his family through his reentry period. Just as the first "chapter" was about to be published, the Aguilar household was raided by the police and Luis was arrested for selling drugs. The reporter found that Luis was wrongly charged and that police had coaxed testimonies from witnesses at the trial. This story describes how the family goes through ups and downs in their effort to rebuild their lives.
Tags: Luis Aguilar; drugs; wrongful conviction; threatening witnesses; parolee; Aguilar; wrong witness testimony
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Cop Killing Questioned
This collection of three stories shows how the police threatened people to be witnesses of Detroit police office Scott Stewart murder. The package also shows how Stewart was infamous for beating and robbing prostitutes and others in the area.
Tags: Detroit Police Department; homicide; Dana Russel; Scott Knczal; Scott Stewart; police brutality; Police Commission
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Witness for the Prosecution
Dateline NBC "examined allegations that Jehovah's Witnesses leaders have been covering up cases of child molestation... (Dateline) discovered that the general policy set by the church headquarters, the Watchtower Society, does not encourage the reporting of sexual abuse allegations to authorities, except in the 16 states where reporting by clergy of such allegations is mandatory... (Dateline) discovered one case in Nevada where the church's own internal records showed they were aware that an elder had been accused of molesting 17 girls, yet never passed that information on to the police. The primary case (Dateline) focused on involved a young women who alleged that her parents' best friend and a respected church leader had molested her from the time she was 5 until she was nearly 12 years old. At age 16, she came forward to church elders, who she says threatened to excommunicate her if she reported the case to police. She went to the police anyway. As a result, her family says they were shunned by other church members. In court, church leaders spoke on behalf of the accused molester, who ultimately was convicted and sent to prison."
Tags: Jehovah's Witnesses; Nevada; Watchtower Society; church; police; sexual abuse; molestation; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT
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Unsolved Murders
"By focusing on several 'gang or drug-related' homicides (that) occurred in 1997 and remain unsolved, the series provides insight into the difficulties a small remote town faces battling violent crime. (The investigation) begins with an examination of the common wisdom that these cases remain unsolved because witnesses will not come forward. It ends by questioning what the leaders in the community can and need to do to break these investigations and reduce violent crime in general. In the process, the series describes a double murder, relates a local history of family feuding, and reports about a local serial killer who has threatened dozens of witnesses into silence."
Tags: crime violent unsolved homicide law enforcement criminal justice system prosecution
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"The Politics of Birth Control: How ProLife Forces Strangle Research"
On September 18, after a seven-year battle to introduce RU 486 in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration finally announced it was approving the new "abortion drug". While pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers often bemoan long and laborious fights for FDA approval, RU 486 moved swiftly through the maze. In fact, the entire regulatory process took less than two years. But RU 486 faced a different kind of obstacle: the prolifers. Not a single American company was willing to risk their wrath by selling this drug. They had already witnessed the potential costs of such a venture. In 1989, after introducing RU 486 in France, the makers of the pill, Roussel Uclaf, briefly considered bringing it to the US. When American prolifers learned of Roussel Uclaf's plans, they mounted a massive campaign, got George Bush to ban the drug's import, and threatened to boycott the products of Roussel Uclaf and its sister companies.
Tags: RU-486; Roussel Uclaf; pro-life movement; birth control