Resource Center

Stories

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 "campaign contributions" ...

  • Congressional Campaign Marred by Scandal

    When federal authorities charged the finance director for Connecticut House Speaker Chris Donovan's congressional campaign with trying to hide campaign contributions, the Courant sought to uncover details of the probe and provide its readers stories that explained the significance of the arrest, peeling back the layers of a conspiracy that reached the highest levels of state government.

    Tags: Federal authorities; campaign finance; state government

    By Reporters: Jon Lender; Edmund H. Mahony; Dave Altimari; Daniela Altimari; Editor: John Ferraro

    The Hartford Courant

    2012

  • The Puddingstone Group

    The Puddingstone Group is a real estate investment company started in 1999 by a judge, a banker, and a real estate developer, which has become involved in dozens of lawsuits arising from alleged predatory practices, breaches of legal ethics, campaign contributions, and collusion with businesses, banks, and politicians.

    Tags: Real Estate; Legal Ethics

    By Justin Zaremba

    North Jersey Media Group

    2011

  • Beneath the Surface of Political Expense

    The Kukmin Daily finds that several lawmakers in South Korea's National Assembly used campaign contributions to fund golf outings, trips to the sauna and even haircuts.

    Tags: South Korea; campaign contributions; greed; campaign finances

    By Seunghoon Jung; Jibang Kim; Dongkwon Chung

    Kukmin Daily

    2011

  • Follow the Unlimited Money

    Following the Supreme Court decision allowing unlimited donations to political campaigns from outside groups, the Sunlight Foundation launched a tool to track the activities and campaign contributions of organizations.

    Tags: campaign; campaign contributions; politics; spending; donation

    By Bill Allison; Anupuma Narayanswamy; Ryan Sibley; Aaron Bycoffe; Paul Blumenthal; Lindsay Young

    Sunlight Foundation (Washington, D.C.)

    2010

  • Prison Profiting: Behind Arizona's Immigration Law

    NPR's report shows that private prison corporations helped to write Arizona 1070, its controversial immigration law. The story examines "the private prison companies' handin getting the law written and passed, beginning with a private meeting at the Hyatt in washington D.C and ending with extensive campaign contributions and political connections to lawmakers and the governor of Arizona."

    Tags: immigration; private prisons; lobbying; Arizona 1070; illegal immigrant; illegal immigration; criminal justice

    By Laura Sullivan; Anne Hawke; Barbara Van Woerkom; Susanne Reber; Steve Drummond

    National Public Radio

    2010

  • Sponsored Bills in Sacramento: How Our Laws are Really Made

    The series takes an in-depth look at how many bills in the state legislature are written by outside sponsors and their lobbyists. It examines the connection between lawmakers who introduce these bills and the campaign contributions they receive from the groups that sponsored the bills.

    Tags: bill; lobby; government; bill process; state government

    By Karen de Sa

    San Jose Mercury News West

    2010

  • The Mayor and the Money

    Campaign finance reports of the Shreveport Mayor suggested that the campaign finance laws had been broken. Anonymous contributions, multiple entries for the same donation, donors that circumvented laws on contribution limits, and donors with questionable backgrounds were found in the reports.

    Tags: election; mayor; contribution limit; campaign contribution; donor

    By Alison Bath

    Times (Shreveport, La.)

    2010

  • Under the Radar

    An investigation of the U.S. Navy Veterans Association found that the nonprofit group was providing almost no assistance to veterans and current U.S. troops and instead spending millions of dollars on conservative campaigns across the country.

    Tags: U.S. Navy Veterans Association; veterans; Navy Veterans; campaign contributions; nonprofit

    By Jeff Testerman; John Martin

    Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.)

    2010

  • DMN Investigates/Rick Perry

    The Dallas Morning News investigated the background of Texas governor,Rick Perry, as he sought re-election for a third term. The reporters showed that the state had given more than $16 million taxpayer dollars to high tech companies with investors or officers who were large campaign donors to Perry.

    Tags: corruption; elections; re-election; campaign; campaign contributions

    By James Drew; Steve McGonigle; Ryan McNeill

    Dallas Morning News

    2010

  • Billboard Confidential

    This story was an investigation into the billboard industry in the City of Los Angeles. They found a business blatantly breaking the law by placing thousands of illegal signs all over the city, and government officials doing nothing to stop it. The story revealed the Los Angeles City Council made sweetheart deals with certain sign companies, allowing them to break the city's own zoning laws. Some of these deals were done behind closed doors, with no input from the community. This relationship seemed to benefit both parties. The journalists revealed every single council member received campaign contributions from members of the billboard industry, who in turn made millions -- if not billions -- off of LA's streetscapes

    Tags: Los Angeles; zoning; signs; billboards; campaign contributions; sweetheart deals; Los Angeles City Council

    By Vince Gonzales; Karen Foshay; Alberto Arce

    KCET-TV (Los Angeles, Calif.)

    2008