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 "right-to-know request" ...
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"Big payout, little oversight at NEIU"
After receiving a tip from a member of the Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit (NEIU) board, reporter Sarah Hofius Hall began investigating the retirement of Fred Rosetti, former executive director of the NEIU. She revealed that the board "blindly and quietly" removed caps on accrued vacation and sick days, which meant Rosetti would have received slightly more than half a million dollars in payouts upon retirement.
Tags: NEIU; payouts; right-to-know request; Abington Heights; Alvin Hollister; vacation days; sick leave; Italy
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Your Right to Know
As Members of Parliament (MPs), they are to use their power to best serve the people. In this article, we see that this is not the case and taxpayers' money is being used for their own personal use. Furthermore, they try to keep this information hidden by ways of denying requests of expenses, delaying publication of information, and exempting themselves from their own laws.
Tags: Members of Parliament (MPs); Freedom of Information Act; FOI; House of Commons; Taxpayers; House flipping; Scandal; London; United Kingdom
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Tax Dodgers
A WTAE-TV investigation found serious problems with Pittsburgh's tax collection procedures as the city grappled with municipal bankruptcy. The two stories found that the city had more than $21 million in delinquent taxes, or half its deficit at the time, and that some of the biggest banks in Pittsburgh, and around the country, were failing to pay their taxes.
Tags: Pittsburgh municipal bankruptcy; Pittsburgh delinquent taxes; Pittsburgh banks; property records; corporation records; Pennsylvania's Right-To-Know (FOI) Law
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The Right to Know
This series was the result of a year long investigation into government use and abuse of Freedom if Information legislation across Canada. The final result showed that political interference with FOI requests was frequent and often delayed and subverted the FOI process.
Tags: FOIA
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Your Right to Know
In response to a revemping of the state open records laws, the Press of Atlantic City published this guide for citizens on exactly what the law involved. The guide outlines exemptions to the law, how to make a request, a list of public documents, and even includes a typical open records request sheet.
Tags: Public records; FOI; open records
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Washington: Your Right To Know
Newspapers around Washington state teamed up to test whether local government agencies would comply with public records laws. Posing as average citizens, journalists went to police and sheriff stations, boards of health and city and county governments to request documents that should have been available under open records laws. Levels of compliance varied and many agencies refused to give out records or charged more than was lawfully allowed.
Tags: FOIA; public records; public records law; access to records; police; city government
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Disregarding Your Right to Know
"The Special Reports Unit used the entire news staff to review the closed-session minutes of area public agencies. Under New Jersey law, public officials, under certain circumstances, can meet privately but they must keep minutes of those meetings and release them once the issue they discuss is resolved. ... We found that one in three public entities provided either no minutes at all or minutes so lacking in detail, it was impossible to tell what was discussed."
Tags: minutes; meeting; executive session; closed door meeting; FOI requests; lawsuit; school board; municipal government agency; Sunshine laws
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Restricted Access: Whose Right to Know?
"The Community Newspaper Company dispatched a team of more than 100 reporters across the state to test public officials' compliance with the state's law on open records and uncovered widespread violations... Under the direction of the newspaper's projects editor, Chris Szechenyi, each of the reporters asked for a uniform set of public records. The results were then compiled in a spreadsheet and analyzed. In addition, Szechenyi made a separate set of public information requests to ten state agencies and the governor's office."