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 "FOI request" ...
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Secret Planes
This investigation by the associated press discovers two Gulfstream jets purposely sending suspected terrorists to countries practicing techniques of tortune. This report was the first to document evidence linking these secret planes to the U.S. government and "revealed the true function of an agency buried deep in the Pentagon bureaucracy."
Tags: U.S. Navy; FOI requests; CIA; detainees; Defense Energy Support Center
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Tax Dodgers
A WTAE-TV investigation found serious problems with Pittsburgh's tax collection procedures as the city grappled with municipal bankruptcy. The two stories found that the city had more than $21 million in delinquent taxes, or half its deficit at the time, and that some of the biggest banks in Pittsburgh, and around the country, were failing to pay their taxes.
Tags: Pittsburgh municipal bankruptcy; Pittsburgh delinquent taxes; Pittsburgh banks; property records; corporation records; Pennsylvania's Right-To-Know (FOI) Law
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High Dollar Highways
This on-going investigation looks at the money spent on local highway contracts. Hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts were awarded to some companies, and other companies were threatened and discouraged from submitting tenders. Many FOI requests were used to get information from the Department of Transportation.
Tags: Department of Transportation; FOIA; highway contractors in Tennessee; highway contractors; state transportation
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Pork and Politics
Using hidden cameras, this investigation looks at the treatment of animals at hog/dog rodeos in Clarke County, Alabama. What they found was a case of animal cruelty. Using FOI requests, the reporter found that law enforcement, politicians, and prosecutors were aware of what was going on, but refused to take blame and uphold the law.
Tags: hog/dog rodeos; animal cruelty; hidden camera; FOIA; Clarke County; Alabama
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Dominic Williams
This Post-Dispatch series focuses on the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of 17-year-old Dominic Williams, the teenager found dead and naked in a trash can. No one wanted him and the system which was supposed to protect him ended up failing him. Using FOI requests, the reporter was able to piece together Dominic's life, and figure out just why and how he slipped through the cracks.
Tags: child welfare laws; crime
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The Right to Know
This series was the result of a year long investigation into government use and abuse of Freedom if Information legislation across Canada. The final result showed that political interference with FOI requests was frequent and often delayed and subverted the FOI process.
Tags: FOIA
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Modern Meat
Frontline investigates health hazards posed by the nation's meat industry. The story points to evidence that the "widespread use of antibiotics to promote growth and keep livestock healthy may result in the development of bacterial strains that are resistant to antibiotic treatment." The investigation started with examining a lawsuit that a Texas meat-grinding company, Supreme Beef -- after failing federal salmonella standard tests three times -- filed against the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Tags: hygiene; diseases; deaths; food safety; USDA; Center for Disease Control; FOI requests; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT
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Open and shut: Arizona's public records audit
This three-day series, published simultaneously in newspapers across Arizona, is the result of a six-month effort by media organizations across Arizona. The goal was to find out how a citizen would be treated when testing the provision of Arizona's Public Records Law that allows for inspection of public records. Auditors from 21 media organizations were sent to 187 police departments, sheriff's departments, planning and zoning offices and school district offices. Findings revealed that agencies other than police complied with almost every request for public records, but auditors often faced resistance with law enforcement--including one agency that logged a suspicious person report on an auditor just for seeking a record, then ran a computer check on him and trailed him around town.
Tags: IRE FOI AWARD CATEGORY; public records; public records law; police records; database mapping project
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Your Right to Know
In response to a revemping of the state open records laws, the Press of Atlantic City published this guide for citizens on exactly what the law involved. The guide outlines exemptions to the law, how to make a request, a list of public documents, and even includes a typical open records request sheet.
Tags: Public records; FOI; open records