Resources

Investigative Reporters and Editors, Inc. The IRE Journal, Winter 2009 by Pressley, Gretchen

Stories

* Story No. 18687: "Drama in three acts," Witold Krasucki, Gregorz Nawrocki, Polish Public Television. An investigative report exposes the scams of corrupt Polish politicians in the beginning of the 1990s. The major finding: with the support of those in power, huge amounts of public money have been illegally transferred to private pockets and enterprises. (2001)

* Story No. 22528: "The Mafia of Illegal Immigration in England," Giovani Grizotti, Saulo De La Rue, Paulo Pimentel, RBS-TV/ Globo TV. The authors investigated the falsification of documents and the marriages of convenience organized by an international gang to allow Brazilians to stay and work in England. (2005)

* Story No. 19961: "Chinese women seek American husbands online," Peter Zhong, Jennifer Chou, Radio Free Asia. Some Chinese women are using Internet services to find husbands in America. This is partly fueled by a desire for a better life and also by the rise in Web use in Chinese cities. (2002)

* Story No. 22388: "Waiting for Justice," Mirsad Brkic, Svjetlana Celie, Ida Donlagic, Zeljka Gutalj, Eldina Pleho, Zoran Popovic, Renata Radie, Lidija Pisker, Collin Haba, Center for Investigative Reporting - Bosnia Herzegovina. After the ethnic slaughter in the Balkans, Bosnia-Herzegovina's state court was going to take over trying people charged with genocide, mass rape and torture. It has not happened. Millions of euros were spent to build a War Crimes Chamber, but not a single trial has been held. Hundreds of suspects live free among the same people they are charged with terrorizing. (2005)

* Story No. 18877: "Philips in Africa," Mark Phillips, Sarah Carter, Ashley Velie, Jim Murphy, CBS News. The first part of this CBS News report on the Congo civil war found that the efforts to stop the war have failed, "in part because Western companies are helping pay for it." The second segment reports on a land dispute in Zimbabwe that has caused racial conflicts. (2001 )

* Story No. 18655: "A Taste of Slavery," Sumana Chatterjee, Sudarsan Raghavan, Knight-Ridder Washington Bureau. An investigation finds that boys are enslaved on Ivory Coast farms to harvest cocoa used to make chocolate that Americans consume. (2001)

Tipsheets

* No. 1040: "International Reporter's Rights," Bruce E. H. Johnson, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. This guide covers three areas of interest regarding U.S. law and international journalists' rights: libel, privacy and access. Other topics include reporter's privilege and newsgathering liability.

* No. 2732: "Women journalists doing international investigations," Vivienne Walt, Time. Walt offers crucial advice for female journalists working in Middle Eastern and other Islamic countries. Her suggestions emphasize safety and adherence to cultural norms, as well as guidelines for interacting with local service providers and freelancers.

* No. 2582: "Investigative Journalism in Russia," Yevgenia Albats. The author, drawing from her years of experience as an investigative journalist in the Soviet Union, offers advice for journalists operating in countries with restrictions on the news media. The author discusses ways to find information, as well as how to work with an editor who might be afraid of possible litigation.

* No. 1948: "Borders: An insider's guide to international trafficking," Walter Roche, Willoughby Mariano, The Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel. Roche and Mariano provide this guide to covering the international trafficking of laborers. Specific headings to their guide are the government, the employer, the middle-man and the laborers. Also included are hints on finding relevant public records.

* No. 2482: "Finding Partners in Europe," Nils Mulvad, Danish International Centre for Analytical Reporting. Reporters interested in making contacts in Europe will find Mulvad's tipsheet on EU journalism organizations and other IRE-like European groups helpful. He also describes key Web sites.

* No. 2465: "Some of the usual suspects in Mexico and Latin America," Pedro Enrique Armendares, Centro de Periodistas de Investigacion. Armendares gives several resources for finding allies in reporting investigations overseas. He lists Web sites for journalism organizations in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru and many specialty groups in Mexico.

* No. 2466: "Networking in Southeast Asia," Luz Rimban, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. This tipsheet lists many Web sites for making journalism contacts in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

The IRE Journal

* "Spanish press digs deep once again," Carlos Berbell, Panorama Magazine. He writes about investigative reporting in Spain and the beginnings of an IRE-like organization. (Spring 1 990)

* "The truth can kill you in Haiti," Yves Colon, Missouri School of Journalism. The story highlights the dangers of being a journalist in Haiti. (Jan./Feb. 1991)

* "Training journalists abroad poses special challenges," Drew Sullivan, The IRE Journal. Sullivan writes about the challenges of training foreign journalists to do American-style investigative reporting. He says that few foreign journalists come from nations with a tradition of independent journalism or muckraking. (March/April 2001)