The Taricani Lecture Series on First Amendment Rights features courageous journalists and thought leaders who have powerful stories to share.
Jim Taricani H’18, the husband of Laurie White ’81, was a veteran Rhode Island journalist and nationally respected investigative reporter for nearly four decades with WJAR-TV and a valued member of the URI family. URI honored Jim in 2018 by awarding him an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. Shortly after he passed away in 2019, Jim’s family announced the creation of the Taricani Lecture Series on First Amendment Rights at the University of Rhode Island to honor his memory and his work. As a champion of the news media’s First Amendment Rights, Jim was dedicated to protecting those rights, which he saw as critically important to society.
Previous lectures and videos
- Digging for Truth Featuring Caitlin Dickerson - November 1 at 5 PM ET Swan Hall Auditorium & streamed live on Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn, Twitter
- Finding the Truth: Investigative Journalism in the Digital Era - 2022 Taricani Lecture Series featuring ProPublica investigative reporters Neil Bedi and Kathleen McGrory
Tuesday, April 5, 2022, 5pm [watch the video] - Inaugural Taricani Lecture features John King - 2021 Taricani Lecture Series featuring John King
April 21, 2021, 5pm [watch the video] - Truth and Trust: Journalism Post‑Election - 2020 Taricani Lecture featuring RI journalists: M. Charles Bakst, Dan Barry, Katie Davis, Parker Gavigan, Dyana Koelsch, and moderator by Sree Sreenivasa
Tuesday, November 10, 2020, 4pm [watch the video] - Truthful Not Neutral in a Time of Dissent - 2020 Taricani Lecture featuring Christiane Amanpour ’83, Hon. ’95, chief international anchor for CNN
Thursday, July 16, 2020, 12pm [watch the video] - A Conversation with Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn - 2020 Taricani Lecture featuring award-winning journalists and authors Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
Tuesday, June 16, 2020, 5pm [watch the video]
“I am so pleased that the Taricani Lecture Series on First Amendment Rights will begin this summer at the University of Rhode Island with three virtual events addressing the importance and impact of the First Amendment on our democracy.Laurie White ’81
The Taricani Lecture Series is presented by the Harrington School of Communication and Media, with the cooperation of the Journalism department and the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. Journalism has been the subject of so much debate over the past few years. This dialogue has intensified with issues relating to freedom of speech in our current environment. Through the Taricani Lecture series and the efforts of the Journalism department, the University of Rhode Island is poised to foster steadfast values, ethics and sense of purpose for the next generation of journalists.
Jim Taricani, H’18, the husband of Laurie White, ’81, was a veteran Rhode Island journalist and nationally respected investigative reporter for nearly four decades with WJAR-TV and a valued member of the URI family. Shortly after he passed away in 2019, Jim’s family announced the creation of the Taricani Lecture Series on First Amendment Rights to honor his memory and his work. As a champion of the news media’s First Amendment rights, Jim was dedicated to protecting those rights, which he saw as critically important to society.
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