Archive for December 2008
Many NBA players’ charities mismanaged
A Salt Lake Tribune analysis of NBA player-run charities found they face a wide range of problems, from meager funding and high administrative costs to a lack of professional staffing and oversight. Tax records indicate these 89 charities together raised at least $31 million between 2005 and 2007, but only about $14 million of that…
Read MoreOhio children die despite state oversight
An investigation by Randy Ludlow of The Columbus Dispatch uncovered that more than one-third of the Ohio children who died from abuse and neglect from 2002 to 2007 died on the watch of county children services agencies. The story revealed that caseworkers regularly made fatal mistakes by leaving imperiled children in abusive homes. The package…
Read MoreAIG’s role in financial crisis explored
In the latest installment of The Washington Post’s look at the ways in which Wall Street innovation outpaced Washington regulation, Robert O’Harrow Jr. and Brady Dennis look at the role played by American International Group (AIG). They find that many of the most compelling aspects of the economic cataclysm can be seen through the story…
Read MoreAthletes’ SAT scores lag at major colleges and universities
An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found that football and men’s basketball players on the nation’s big-time college teams averaged hundreds of points lower on their SATs than their classmates. The investigation involved using state open records acts to request reports that colleges must file with the NCAA disclosing SAT scores of their athletes. More than 50…
Read MoreBring IRE to your newsroom
If your newsroom has cut back on sending journalists away for training, maybe you can persuade your bosses to bring IRE to you. IRE’s custom training is surprisingly affordable, with a proven track record of producing results. Working with our training directors, your news organization can put together the most effective schedule for your staff…
Read MoreOfficers use deadly deadly force against unarmed suspects
A Los Angeles Times investigation has found that over the last six years, police officers in Inglewood, Calif., have repeatedly resorted to physical or deadly force against suspects who were unarmed or accused of minor offenses. In the span of four months this year, Inglewood officers shot and killed four people, three of them unarmed. The…
Read MoreEPA allows companies to keep chemical information secret
In the latest installment of their ongoing 18-month investigation, Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel found that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency routinely allows companies to keep new information about their chemicals secret, including compounds that have been shown to cause cancer and respiratory problems. The newspaper examined more than 2,000…
Read MoreMaryland hospitals sue over unpaid bills while collecting surplus funds
An eight-month investigation by Fred Schulte and James Drew of The Baltimore Sun found that over the past five years some of Maryland’s 46 nonprofit hospitals have received millions of surplus dollars from the government even as they sued tens of thousands of patients over unpaid bills. Many of these suits have been filed against patients in…
Read MoreMayors’ requests laden with pork
CNN’s Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost found more than $300 million in questionable projects submitted to Congress by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Boudreau and Zamost examined each item in the 800-page report. The proposals included a water park ride in Miami, a plan to help prostitutes in Dayton, Ohio, and a baseball museum in…
Read MoreCNN’s Jon Klein will deliver keynote at 2009 IRE Conference
A stellar group of investigative reporters is lining up to speak at the annual IRE conference, June 11-14, in Baltimore. Jon Klein, president of CNN-U.S., will deliver the keynote address. Other speakers participating in conference panels include Bob Woodward of The Washington Post, Jill Abramson and Dean Baquet of The New York Times, Brian Ross…
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