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 "WSMV" ...
-
Deception of the Desperate
The WSMV investigation "exposed how a Nashville-based company was deceiving people all across the country who were desperate for insurance. Many of these customers had serious illnesses, like AIDS and cancer, and could not get full coverage insurance. They found the company was telling consumers they were getting full coverage insurance, when in fact they were buying basic discount cards that barely paid any of their expenses. "
Tags: insurance; fraud; consumer safety; medical insurance; health insurance
-
MBI Heavy Trucks
WSMV-TV examined MBI trucking, “the nation's largest garbage hauler,†which hauls ordinary household trash across Tennessee. Their analysis of "a single trucker's daily weigh tickets for a period of more than 3 years" showed that he only "followed the federal weight law just 21 times." As a result of the investigation the company's safety and compliance record has caught the interest of the federal government.
Tags: waste management; trucking; highways; roads; U.S. Attorney; FBI; Congress; federal government; MBI; landfill;
-
Prison Zip Codes
This investigation by WSMV looks at the trend of parolees, prisoners, their respective zip codes, and the continuous cycle of violence that occurs when they're released into the same environment. The trend shows that certain zip codes with hundreds of parolees also tend to have the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV. Through their analysis, reporters at WSMV discovered that many of these parolees have no choice but to return to these high-crime neighborhoods with cheap housing due to their criminal past. "So when parolees return to these areas, they are exposed to crime again and get caught up in a cycle of violence."
-
Show & Tell: IRE 2001 National Conference (Chicago)
Compilation tape of investigative stories presented at the 2001 IRE national conference in Chicago: Tape 1 1.) KVBC-TV (Nevada) - "Honor Thy Father" 2.) KHOU 11 (Houston) - "Highway Health Hazard" 3.) Inside Edition - "Drink Up" 4.) KOAA-TV (Colorado Springs) - "Mother Goose daycare investigation" 5.) WSTN-TV (Syracuse) - "Pipeline to Crack" 6.) WAGA-TV (Atlanta) - "On the net; on the clock" 7.) KSAZ-TV (Phoenix) - "Capital Credit" 8.) Inside Edition - "Televangelists" 9.) WJW (Fox 8 Cleveland) - "Coats for Kids" 10.)Kelo-TV (Sioux Falls) - "Painful Steps" 11.) WNBC-TV (New York) - "Help on Hold" 12.) WFLD-TV (Chicago) - "Aggressive Drivers" 13.) WXYZ-TV (Detroit) - "Get Out Alive" 14.) WCPO-TV (Cincinnati) - "Airport Security" 15.) KMOL-TV (San Antonio) - "Slum Lords" 16.) WDIV-TV (Detroit) - "Stealing Power" 17.) WSMV 4 (Nashville) - "A few deadly breaths" 18.) WTVF (Nashville) - "Who's Policing the Police?" 19.) KDFW (Dallas) - "Spot Delivery" 20.) WTVJ (Miami) - "The Price of Beauty" 21.) WXYZ-TV (Detroit) - "Weight Loss Scams" 22.)KETV (Omaha) - "Police Complaints" 23.) KDFW (Dallas) - "Identity Theft" Tape 2 1.) WABC-TV (New York) - "Caught Off Guard" 2.) WTMJ-TV (Milwaukee) - "Get out of jail free" 3.) KTVT-TV (Fort Worth) - "INS Application Scam" 4.) KRON-TV (San Francisco) - "Moving Violations" 5.) WSPA-TV (South Carolina) - "Goodwill Firings" 6.) KWTV 9 (Oklahoma City) - "Lemon on the Lot" 7.) WLOS-TV (Asheville) - "Save or Slaughter" 8.) WISH-TV (Indianapolis) - "Tipped off" 9.) WAMI-TV (Miami) - "AIDS Charity Scam" 10.) WITI-TV (Milwaukee) - "Marine Corp Toxic Water" 11.) WFLD-TV (Chicago) - "No prescription, no doctor" 12.) XETV 6 (San Diego) - "Port Perks" 13.) KSTP-TV (St. Paul) - "Lasik Surgery" 14.) News 12 Long Island (Woodbury, N.Y.) - "Bad Medicine" 15.) News 12 Long Island (Woodbury, N.Y.) - "Double Dipping" 16.) KVBC-TV (Las Vegas) - "Mud Slinging Exposed" 17.) KVBC-TV (Las Vegas) - "What Lies Beneath" 18.) KHOU 11 (Houston) - "Sex Offender Teachers" 19.) KHOU 11 (Houston) - "Highway Health Hazard" 20.) WISH-TV (Indianapolis) - "Inspecting the Inspectors" 21.) WCPO 9 (Kentucky) - "NKU Rape Investigations"
Tags: TAPE
-
1995 IRE TV Award Winners and FinalistsTape
The 1995 IRE TV Award Winners and FinalistsTape is a compilation of 5 investigative stories. 1.) "No Place Like Home," Prime Time Live, ABC News. Hidden cameras captured problems with in-home care including poor supervision, verbal and physical abuse, caretakers watching over far too many children and, ultimately, state inspectors who failed to act. See # 12920. 2.) "The Worst Nightmare," 60 Minutes, CBS News. Real evidence that Russian organized crime in conjunction with at least one senior official of the Yelstin government, had moved into the potentially lucrative area of nuclear smuggling. See # 12836. 3.) "Marks Travels" KCTV, Kansas City, MO. A highly paid school superintendent, who supposedly had a chronic back problem, took a lenghty medical leave. He was caught lugging furniture into his new home in Florida and questioned about his district spending habits. See # 12830. 4.) "Last Rights," WSMV, Nashville. For the last two decades, the University of Tennessee has been using dead bodies in experiments on human decay, without the knowledge of family members. The practice was suspended immediately after the report. See # 12756. 5.) "Guardian's Grasp." WXYZ, Detroit. A guardianship company exploited the elderly it was supposed to protect. Among other things, it sold a client's home for $500 to the mother of an employee, frauded Medicare and overcharged on accounting fees. See # 12805.
Tags: TAPE; daycare; in-home care; ire.
-
IRE Feed 1 "New Adventures in Computer Assisted Reporting."
A compilation of 12 stories: 1.) "Stolen Dreams" News 12 Long Island, Employees and Salesmen stealing pensions and retirement money. 2.) "Felon Voters" WCCO, Minneapolis, Convicted felons voting illegally. 3,) "Where Crime Happens." WBNS, Columbus, High-crime neighborhoods. 4.) "Ride At Your Own Risk" WTVJ, Miami, Cab drivers driving without licenses because of violations. 5.) "What's in the Tank?" KNXV, Phoenix, Gas incorrectly labeled. 6.) "The Dirty Dozen" WDIV, Detroit, Unclean restaurants with health violations. 7.) "Occupational Hazards" WSMV, Nashville, Unsafe work conditions ignored. 8.) "Unlucky 13" WRAL, Raleigh, A dangerous stretch of Interstate 95. 9.) "Owning Up" WNEM, Saginaw, Unpaid property taxes. 10.) "Hot Cars" WBNS, Columbus, The most frequently stolen cars. 11.) Wheel of Government" News 12 Long Island, Government cars used for non-government business. 12.) "Nursing Home Abuses." WDIV, Detroit, Health department violations, neglect, whistle blowers, cover up, sexual assaults, inadequate care and more.
Tags: TAPE; News 12 Long Island; WCCO; WBNS; WTVJ; KNXV; WDIV; WSMV; WRAL; WNEM.
-
IRE Feed 3, "Hot Stories and Cool Techniques."
A compilation of 8 Stories: 1.) "License For Sale" KCBS, Los Angeles, Criminals and government employees illegally buying real drivers licenses. 2.) "Demon Drivers" WSMV, Nashville. 3.) "Ambulance Felons" KNXV, Phoenix, Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians stealing credit cards from victim's homes and more. 4.) "Hunter Felons" WCCO, Minneapolis, Criminals with firearm hunting licenses. 5.) "Skin Peddler" WXYZ, Detroit, Underage dancers and prostitution. 6.) "Cash, Trash, and Politics." News 12 Long Island, Campaign finance money like with the garbage business. 7.) "Toxic Traffic" WJXT, Jacksonville, Hazardous material accidents and toxic waste dumps. 8.) "Military Secrets" WRAL, Raleigh, Military personnel can't sue for malpractice.
Tags: TAPE; KCBS; WSMV; KNXV; WCCO; WXYZ; News 12 Long Island; WJXT; WRAL.
-
IRE Feed 4 "Investigate This"
A compilation of 17 stories, including: 1.) "Deadly Detectors" WFXT, Boston, tested smoke detectors against the clock. 2.) "Burning Secret" WSMV, Nashville, State troopers were temporarily blinded and burned with pepper spray to feel it's effects, but without knowing the deadly and unhealthy hazards of the spray. 3.) "Take the Money and Run" News 12 Long Island, Election candidates betting campaign money. 4.) "Steroids For Sale" KPRC, Houston, Steroids illegally prescribed and Houston Police as customers. 5.) "Behind the Badge" WTHR, Indianapolis, Convicted criminal Police Officers. 6.) "Daycare Criminal Checks" KTVK, Dallas 7.) "Candy man" KOMO, Seattle, Teacher uses minors for door-to-door candy sales, usually in violation of child labor laws. 8.) "Illegal School Vans" WEWS, Cleveland, Schools transporting children in unsafe and illegal vans instead of buses. 9.) "High Crimes, High School" WITI, Milwaukee 10.) "Life After Death Row" WRAL, Raleigh 11.) "Foul Air" WWOR, New York, Carbon monoxide poisoning in indoor ice rinks. 12.) "Hard Bounces" KTVK, Dallas, "Banks that practice check ordering, or cashing larger checks first, equaling more profits for banks and more fines for customers. 13.) "Investigating the IRS" KTVK, Dallas 14.) "Fake Degrees" WFXT, Boston, Fake universities giving fake degrees. 15.) "Who is Mr. Wright?" KOMO, Seattle, An illegit doctor with fake credentials. 16.) "Medical Secrets" News 12 Long Island, A woman with terminal breast cancer, a doctor who failed to diagnose it, and a hospital that protected the doctors and punished the whistle blowers 17.) "Military Secrets" WRAL, Raleigh, Military doctors without medical licenses.
Tags: TAPE; WFXT; WSMV; KPRC; WTHR; KTVK; KOMO; WEWS; WITI; WRAL; WWOR; News 12 Long Island
-
Dine at Your Own Risk
This 7-part WSMV-TV investigation takes and in-depth look at how well commercial kitchens in Tennessee are protecting consumers health. The authors found major flaws in the state's regulatory process, standards that lag behind tougher federal recommendations, and alarming number of restaurants that repeatedly fail to pass inspections and consumer complaints that in many cases get little attention.
Tags: TAPE
-
Tennessee Bridges
WSMV's story found that Department of Transportation employee Mike Klahr, who was supposed to inspect the most dangerous bridges in middle Tennessee, never went near a bridge during an eight-day surveillance. Instead, he ran a private painting business on state time, watered his lawn on state time and often worked as little as one hour a day. A computer-assisted investigation found plenty of work to do on Tennessee bridges. The series also discloses how Tennessee closes its bridge inspection records to the public.