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 "flight schools" ...
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The high price of Rutgers sports
For a decade, Rutgers Univeristy pushed hard to become a college football powerhouse. But a six-month investigation of Rutgers athletics -- including a new review of public records the university fought to keep confidential -- found big-time college football came at a greater price than the school disclosed and still refuses to fully document. The investigation found that Rutgers has hiked tuition, canceled classes and eliminated six other varsity sports while doubling its football spending budget; hid millions of sports expenses, including salaries and charter flights, from public view; rushed into a $102 million expansion of Rutgers Stadium to retain coach Greg Schiano and refused to reveal several other financial and fundraising efforts.
Tags: Rutgers University; college football; financial records; private universities; expense reports; stadiums
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9/11 Redux: Thousands of Aliens' in U.S. Flight School Illegally
This investigation exposed the fact that thousands of foreign national were still obtaining U.S. pilot training and U.S pilot licenses illegally without the required security background checks implemented after the 9-11 terrorists attacks. The story exposed serious flaws in the TSA and FAA system of insuring pilots had successfully done in obtaining piloting skills in the USA prior to the September 11 attacks of 2001.
Tags: September 11, 2001; terrorism; flight schools; Department of Homeland Security; DHS; Transportation Security Administration; TSA; Federal Aviation Administration; FAA; pilot licenses
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The Great Divide
This four-part series reveals that education in Pennsylvania and New Jersey is overwhelmingly not diverse despite 50 years of supposed desegregation. Economic factors often lead to racial segregation, but research shows that "white flight" causes suburban areas to be just as separated as big cities. The private schooling option also steals many white students from public schools. One school district attempts to prove that with effort almost perfect racial balance can be achieved.
Tags: Brown v. Board of Education; school; diversity; minority; black; African American; integration; equal; education; race; segregation; NAACP; white flight; Jim Crow
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The High Price of Recruiting
This investigation revealed that Indiana University and Purdue University together spent more than $600.000 on procurement of football players in 2003-04. One recruit for IU was flown in a University-owned private jet--a flight that cost the school $11,656. No such incentives were made available to academic recruits.
Tags: college; sport; athlete; university; recruiting; football; Indiana University; Purdue University
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Pilot shortage siphons experienced instructors from flight schools
This story analyzes the fact American air carriers that operate internationally are taking away experienced pilots from both flight schools' instructor positions and regional airlines. The consequence of this trend is new pilots have to learn from unexperienced teachers. McCartney says this raises "questions about the quality of America's future pilots." The story adds the FAA was "looking into the matter." The fact big international airlines lure experienced pilots draws regional and small to hire people who sometimes can't meet the traditional requirements, such as having 20/20 vision without glasses. So these companies lower those requirements. Despite the concern raised, McCartney says "there isn't any evidence that possible lack of experience has posed any safety problems at either major or regional airlines.
Tags: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Council on Aviation Accreditation; United Airlines; AirNet Systems Inc.; Embry-Riddle University; Northwest Airlines; Palm Springs International Airport; Airbus Industrie
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Anatomy of a deal: airport buys out academy
"In a deal largely bankrolled by taxpayers and aided by an unusually generous property appraisal, county officials have agreed to buy a private school and allow it to move from an airport flight path to a county-owned site for a public park," The Palm Beach Post reports. The story is about the purchase of King's Academy campus by Palm Beach International Airport for $14.5 million. It was not a coincidence that the airport's director children attended the school. Federal Aviation Administration officials admitted they had not checked the overpriced deal.
Tags: aviation; land purchases; property; FAA; county government spending
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Series on 9-11 intelligence failures: The 9/11 terrorists the CIA should have caught (The hijackers we let escape); The informant who lived with the hijackers; The Saudi money trail; Charity and Terror
Newsweek investigates whether the CIA and FBI ignored critical clues that might have helped prevent the attacks. The first story looks at a case where the CIA tracked two suspected terrorists to an Al-Qaeda summit in Malaysia in 2000. These same two men later came to the U.S., lived in California and went on to hijack the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11. The report questions why the CIA didn't do more to stop these men, based on the information they had. The second story reports although one FBI informant was the hijackers' roommate, intelligence agencies still failed to recognize the threat. The third story reveals how an Saudi student in the U.S., Omar Al-Bayoumi, provided critical assistance to the two hijackers. The fourth story reports on how Saudi-based Islamic charities have been used to fund terrorist organizations around the world.
Tags: Terrorism; terrorists; Malaysia; CIA; September 11; Pentagon; Al-Qaeda; Osama bin Laden; Kuala Lumpur; Alhazmi; Almihdhar; American Airlines Flight 77; flight school; FBI; 9-11; Al-Owhali
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Feed 5: Best of Show and Tell
1) Jennifer Kraus (WTVF-Nashville) This story exposes problems at the Nashville office of international charity "Feed the Children." In a four-month investigation, WTVF-TV's undercover cameras caught the charity's staff loading up their personal cars with donated items and taking the items home. 2) Deborah Sherman (WFXT - Boston) Costa Rican trips for child sex. Actually spoke with girls who used to get paid by American tourists for sex. Focuses on one area man charged with this crime. 3) Anna Werner, David Raziq (KHOU-Houston) KHOU-TV reports that "You're in physical pain. You need help. So you go to your doctor expecting needed relief and comfort. But what if in the process of treating you, you realize this healer's touch has become 'sexual?' That's what dozens of Houston women claimed happened to them when they were referred to a local health professional, a professional they claimed used their trust to molest and even rape them. His name is Shin Higashiura and he claimed to be a Master of Shiatsu, also known as acupressure, a Japanese massage therapy that promises health benefits...." 4) Jilda Unruh (WCCO-Minneapolis) An investigation reveals that automatic door sensors can't detect certain colors. The doors often close on elderly people, causing them harm. 5) Tom Merriman/Jeff Harris (WEWS-Cleveland) The story investigates how state-trained lifeguards perform on state beaches as compared to privately trained lifeguards on private beaches. Follows both teams though a simulation. The state team fails horribly and never recovers the dummy planted for them to rescue. 6) Jim Schaefer; Shellee Smith (WXYZ-Detroit) WXYZ-TV discovered that the leaders of Highland Park, a poor city surrounded by Detroit, had virtually ignored a major problem in the 911 emergency response system while continuing to enjoy the relatively expensive perks of their jobs. While claiming there was no money in the budget to fix the problem, the mayor leased a brand-new Lincoln with city cash. Undercover video found citizens at risk, fire fighters in danger and no one helping. 7) Drew Griffin (KCBS-Los Angeles) "The Real ConAir" Investigation reveals department of corrections transporting convicts on commercial flights. Passengers are not told who's sitting beside them. Planes are forced to land because of disturbances during the flight. A girl is sexually assaulted by one of these convicts. 8) Robb Leer; Maria Tomasch (KSTP-Minneapolis) Inmates can change their names on the taxpayer's dime. 9) Jeremy Rogalski; Bill Dutton; Gerry Lanosga; Kathleen Johnston (WTHR-Indianapolis) WTHR-TV reports that "a source mentioned to us that numerous DUI cases were being dismissed because police witnesses fail to appear in court... After we crunched a slice of our county's criminal justice data ... We found thousands of DUI cases - nearly one in ten - thrown out because cops didn't show..." 10) Wes Williams; C.J. Ward (KPNX-Phoenix) Security guards with criminal records have a "License to Steal." 11) Tony Kovaleski; Matt Goldberg (KPRC-Houston) Ninety-eight guns were discovered in schools in 10 of Houston's largest school districts -- that works out to 5,864 students per gun. 12) Phil Williams; Chris Clark (WTVF-Nashville) WTVF-TV's investigation into the backgrounds of school teachers found more than three dozen convicted felons working in Metro Nashville-Davidson County schools. 13) Chris Halsne; Kim Albro; Dave Weed (KWTV-Oklahoma City) Voters handed Oklahoma City Schools a 93 million dollar bond in 1993 to improve schools. The money is now gone, but many projects remain unfinished. KWTV-TV's investigation found millions of dollars in waste, fraud and mismanagement. 14) Laure Quinlivan; Jeff Keene; Ken Fulk; Mark Shafer; Scott Diener; Stuart Zanger (WCPO-Cincinnati) WCPO-TV's investigation "... to monitor County officials as they began spending nearly a billion dollars of taxpayer money... earmarked to build two, new sports stadiums for our city's professional sports teams, the Bengals and Red. As (the) investigation enters its third year, work on the first stadium is two-thirds complete and ground will soon break on the second. Already, our investigation has revealed broken promises, manipulation of numbers in official reports, political cronyism in contract awards, creation of 'pass-through' companies and other questionable and possibly illegal activities...." 15) Jim Barry; John Campbell; Sam Zeff; Jennifer Snell; Denise Haley; Brad Naw (WTXF-Philadelphia) After transit union strike crippled Philadelphia's bus and subway service for forty days, WTXF-TV investigated the region's transportation agency - Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. SEPTA is one of the largest and most expensive transit systems in the county. This investigation exposed a widespread culture of laziness and dishonest work habits that was allowing hundreds of buses with potentially dangerous problems out onto the street each day. 16)Darcy Spears; Kim Kruger (KVBC-Las Vegas) "Taken for a Ride". Taxi drivers getting kickbacks for taking clients to certain bars/stripclubs.
Tags: TAPE; Investigative reporting; computer-assisted reporting; IRE; FOI; CAR; no transcripts
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ABC News Investigative Reporting On 9/11 Attacks And Terrorism
ABC News investigative reporting linked to the 9/11 attacks: identification and role of hijacking ring-leader Mohammed Atta; FBI handling of the Zacarias Moussaoui case; training of hijackers at American flight schools; hijackers' efforts to obtain crop dusters; Mafia profiteering in World Trade Center clean up.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; September 11th; 2001
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High School Choice: The impact of student flight on schools of last resort; From excellence to exodus, Harlan strives for rebirth; Why Kids Flee
In a three-part computer-assisted investigation Catalyst reveals that, as "Chicago's public high schools have become a system of choice, ... high schools in high-poverty neighborhood ... are left with predominantly low-achieving kids and a disproportionate share of special education students." In the first part Duffrin analyses school-board data, and concludes that schools left behind have hard time attracting good students and teachers. As a result, their average test scores have been dropping over the years. In the second part the reporter focuses on one school's decline, and on its attempts to recover. The third part "explains why parents and students avoid certain schools."
Tags: enrollment data; teachers; students; parents; behavioral problems; discipline; learning disability; safety; gangs; CAR; Database Mapping Project