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 "no transcripts" ...
-
Bad to the Bone
When four executives of a medical-device company called Synthes went to jail for illegally marketing a bone cement—five patients had died after it was injected into their spines—Mina Kimes knew there had to be a compelling saga behind a case that had generated little coverage beyond local news articles. So she began digging, first with FOIA requests for never-before-published government documents, and then assembling hundreds of pages of court transcripts and internal company e-mails and reports. She used that foundation to begin the harder challenge: persuading Synthes employees, many of them terrified by the criminal case and the company’s intimidating chairman, to talk to her. With six months of grueling, old-fashioned reporting, Kimes succeeded, and “Bad to the Bone” is the masterful result. Not only did she persuade more than 20 current and former company employees to speak, but she also revealed a story whose disturbing breadth far exceeded the case presented in court. Her tour de force reporting raises profound new questions about the culpability of a key figure who wasn’t charged: Hansjörg Wyss, the reclusive and controlling Swiss founder and chairman—one of the richest people in the world—who made crucial decisions about how to sell the bone cement. This is a classic tale of corporate malfeasance: Warned by the government not to sell its bone cement for use in the spine, Synthes ignored the admonition despite clear evidence of lethal danger—a pig had died within seconds when the cement was tested on it—and encouraged surgeons to use the cement on people, five of whom died soon afterward. But “Bad to the Bone” isn’t just an exposé. It opens a window into a broader issue: how the medical system actually runs. Readers see how salespeople with no medical training advise surgeons—inside the OR during operations—on how to use their devices. They experience the tale of one surgeon who continues using the cement even after two of his patients died. Oh, and what sort of justice does Synthes itself receive? Wyss sells it, for $20 billion, to health care giant Johnson & Johnson, which praises Synthes’s “culture” and “values.” Corporate crime. Death on the operating room table. Secret e-mails. Surgeons on the edge. An imperious multibillionaire CEO. It’s a mesmerizing article, and Kimes’s reporting takes readers on a deeply unsettling journey that ensures they’ll never look at the medical system the same way again.
Tags: Medical devices; bone cement; Synthes
-
"Arpaio Investigation"
An investigation by KPHO-TV found that Sheriff Joe Arpaio often used his popularity as a means to "retaliate" when claims were made against him. The retaliation was often in the form of "SWAT raids" or "full-blown criminal investigations." Some of his victims included the mayor of Phoenix, Supreme Court judges and local police chiefs. KPHO found the FBI was also investigating the sheriff for "abuse of power."
Tags: Joe Arpaio; Mesa Police Chief; Mesa City Hall; Sheriff Arpaio; Department of Justice; Maricopa County
-
The Robert Felner Investigation
Dr. Robert Felner was raided by federal agents his last day as the Dean of the College of Education and Human Development University of Louisville. He was to become Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Parkside but was under question about a $500,000 grant.
Tags: Department of Education; No Child Left Behind; Curriculum Vitae; National Center for Public Education and Prevention; payroll
-
A Dangerous Lesson
Schools in Harris County were found to be hiding reports of campus crime from the state agency, in addition to watering down the seriousness of offenses ranging from assault charges to weapon and drug possession. One school didn't have any reports on paper of fighting or drug possession for an entire year.
Tags: school shooting; student code of conduct; sexual assault; misreporting; No Child Left Behind;
-
Coming Home: Soldiers and Drugs
The ABC News investigation probed into the use of illicit drugs by former soldiers after returning home from war in Iraq. Though the military suggests there is no increase in drug abuse after serving in the war, an ABC News team along with six graduate student journalists set out to talk to soldiers for answers. The team traveled to Fort Bragg, NC, Camp Pendelton, CA and Fort Carson, CO to speak with soldiers.
Tags: post-war trauma; illegal drugs; addiction; medication
-
EMS Taxi: Health Care Dysfunction on Wheels
An analysis of the public records database found that Cleveland residents were calling 911 to be picked up by Emergency Medical Service ambulances for minor ailments. This is because dispatchers can't say no. The result is that response times are slow and the transportation is a high cost for the city.
Tags: transportation; emergency medical services; Medicaid; Medicare; Metrohealth Medical Center; Cleveland; ambulance; 911; database; health; medicine;
-
Are you getting greased at Heartland Jiffy Lubes?
Heartland Automotive Jiffy Lubes were found to be selling two oils to customers for different prices. Yet when tested, the I-Team found that the oils had the same properties. ConocoPhillips, the supplier of the more expensive oil, said that Jiffy Lube had known this for sometime. In a later investigation the I-Team found that Heartland Jiffy Lubes sold washer fluid contained no methanol to prevent freezing, despite calling it their “winter blend.†It had simply been died blue by order of the Heartland.
Tags: Jiffy Lube; Heartland; oil; consumer; ConocoPhillips; washer fluid; fraud; deception
-
Protecting the Doctors
KMGH-TV found that when Colorado doctors are accused of sexual assault and/or improper conduct investigations are handled by the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. The administrative investigation reports all criminal acts and findings to the state's attorney general who represents the agency. Because the A.G. represents the agency, it has no obligation under the law to notify or counsel the victim. The result is many doctors simply surrender their license and then are free because no charges are pressed before statute of limitations runs out. Doctors are then able to file for a reinstatement of medical license anywhere, because files are sealed. After this report legislation was passed to close this loop hole.
Tags: medicine; doctors; sexual assault; investigation; medical license; Colorado; victim rights; statute of limitation; Kim Nagel; Attorney General
-
Wake-up Call
Medicare and health cost derived from the baby-boomer generation are driving the U.S. governments debts. "According to Government Accountability Office projections, if the federal government stays the course and makes no major changes in programs or taxes, it will be able to do little more than pay interest on its debts in just 30 years."
Tags: budget; Medicare; Social Security; Iraq; federal deficit; tax; reforms;
-
Winnipeg's Mayor and his Field of Dreams
Sam Katz, the mayor of Winnipeg, is the owner the local minor league baseball team. The team plays on a field " built with substantial public funds." Despite their popularity, Katz claimed that the team made no money and could not pay back the money it borrowed. However, the investigation showed that the mayor " pays himself a substantial salary, and also runs expenses, like nannies for his children on the team payroll."
Tags: money; city government; bankruptcy; Crocus;