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 "nepotism" ...
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Sweetheart Deals and Criminal Ties in Cicero
This series of stories exposed millions of dollars in questionable spending and waste, tainted by insider deals and nepotism, in the town government of Cicero, an inconic Chicago suburb.
Tags: Cicero; nepotism; waste; spending; city government
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It Is What It Is
Using hidden cameras, Jeremy and Jason Finley found that the city of Nashville was ripe with nepotism and poor work habits. What was found were several cases of elected officials hiring their family members for jobs that were never advertised and in some cases substantial raises were given.
Tags: nepotism; elected officials; broadcast; hidden camera
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Impossible Dream: Rebuilding Afghanistan amid corruption, nepotism, and mismanagement
The investigation examines the Obama administration's efforts to create a modern, secure nation in Afghanistan.
Tags: Afghanistan; War on Terror; al Qaeda; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; reconstruction
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Keeping Secrets
This series exposed the financial and public safety costs of North Carolina's personnel law, which we discovered was among the most secretive in the nation. The series showed how the law protected abusive cops and predatory teachers, political patronage and nepotism, as well as extravagantly pay raises and pensions.
Tags: North Carolina; personnel; state employment; salaries; personnel law; North Carlina Open Government Coalition;
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Mr. Big Stuff
An investigation of the Housing Authority executive director in Phoenix proved he hired family members, used the agency's credit card to pay for travel and meals, and channeled federal stimulus work to developers with political connections.
Tags: Housing Authority; nepotism; politics; neophyte
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Examination of Township Government
This series examines township governments and looks at the effectiveness of them from a number of people. These stories revealed that these townships were reserving money, though funds and resources were tight, reducing the amount of taxpayer money available, and nepotism was frequent in the townships.
Tags: property tax; budget; state; benefits; administrative; state records; families; neighborhood; assistance; rural
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The Downfall of Judge Randy Michel
When Brazos County Juvenile Board member Judge Randy Michel appointed attorney Patricia Bonilla Harrison over six other candidates to be a part-time juvenile judge, rumors began to swirl that Harrison was unfit for the position. The Eagle investigated, substantiating the rumors that Harrison was not only underqualified, but also had a "history of alcohol-related arrests." As the process of making open records requests went on, Harrison turned down the post amid rumors that she was having an affair with one of the judges, and the District Attorney's office began its own investigation of the situation. Eventually, Michel "was expelled from his bench" and the state's open records law was strengthened.
Tags: Judges; nepotism; illicit appointments; open records laws
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Corruption in Illinois
Though the state administration of Illinois promised reform and transparency, it has "worked to secretly to reward friends with unprecedented control over state hiring, millions of dollars in state contracts, and a shield from scrutiny through an assault on public access." Nearly a year's worth of stories exposed the problems affecting major offices, including that of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich.
Tags: Richard Daley; Rod Blagojevich; nepotism; political favors
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Corruption in Community College System
This story reveals “patronage, corruption and waste in Alabama's two-year college system. Major findings include: everyone in Chancellor Roy Johnson's immediate family was on the system payroll; campuses gave jobs to relatives of systems officials, often bypassing hiring practices; nearly a third of Alabama's legislators or their relatives received pay from the system; system contractors paid for or performed work on homes owned by Johnson and others; software company received millions of dollars in system officials and lobbying firms, despite a ban on such payments; state attorney general asked Johnson for favors while his prosecutors investigated the system.â€
Tags: nepotism; college; community college
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Broken Bridges: Did City Hall's plan to fight gangs bankroll a gangster?
Ex-gang member and alleged Mexico Mafia member Hector Marroquin, Sr. founded a gang-prevention program in Los Angeles in 1997 that was supported by nearly $1.5 million from the City COuncil. Using FOIA requests and over 50 interviews, L.A. Weekly reporters Jeffrey Anderson and Christine Pelisek point out that the program had no oversight, no means of measuring its success in keeping children out of gangs. They also uncovered nepotism, and evidence suggesting Marroquin was a member of the Mexican Mafia while he ran the anti-gang program.
Tags: L.A. Bridges; gang intervention programs; Hector Marroquin; Networks Organizing for Gang Unity and Neighborhood Safety; N.O. G.U.N.S; L.A. County Probation Department; Mexican Mafia; drug trade; FOIA; Community Development Department; DEA; Drug Enforcement Administration; L.A. Sherriff's Department; Diversified Strategies for Organizing; People Works, Inc.; Central Recovery Development Project; Toberman Settlement House;