To learn about Agent Orange and its effects on Vietnam war veterans, Pro Publica and The Virginian-Pilot found an alternative route to the Veteran Administration who was blocking access to extensive data on the topic. The news outlets made use of an avenue that allows scholars access to data for academic research. They hired a commercial company, Schulman IRB, to take their request to an Institutional Review Board (IRB). The IRB approved the request and sent it to the VA after which it was approved by an undersecretary for health. Subsequent analysis of the data showed for the first time that the children of veterans exposed to Agent Orange had increased odds of having a child born with birth defects. (Pro Publica, December 16, 2016, by Stephen Engelberg)
Pro Publica also filed a lawsuit to acquire records from the VA of their correspondence with a consultant, scientist Alan Young, known for denying that our troops were exposed to Agent Orange and for opposing disability compensation for any exposure. (Courthouse News Service, December 20, 2016, by Daniel W. Staples)