Jim Taricani is a veteran, award winning investigative reporter for WJAR-TV, NBC 10, in Providence, Rhode Island. Jim began his career in print and radio and continues to write for regional magazines and newspapers.

In 2004, Jim was sentenced by a federal judge to 6 months home confinement, for refusing to disclose a confidential source. After completing his sentence, he has been a nationally recognized advocate for the passage of a federal shield law for journalists. Jim covered the New England mafia for more than 25 years and specializes in government corruption in his investigative work. Jim is a long time member of the Investigative Reporters and Editor’s Inc. He is also a member of the prestigious McCormick Foundation’s Freedom of Press Committee, formed in Chicago in 2005 to study press issues.

Jim has traveled the country, delivering some 45 speeches in favor of the “Free Flow of Information Act”. In the summer of 2007, Jim testified before Congress-at the House Judiciary Committee-in favor of the bill. Jim has lectured on the 1st Amendment at dozens of universities across the country, including the Universities of Connecticut, Marquette, Iowa, Western Kentucky State, Maryland, Rhode Island and Roger Williams University. In 2007, Jim was a “Distinguished Visiting Professor” at Johnson and Wales University.

He was given the Press Freedom award by the Reporters’ Committee for Freedom of the Press in 2005 and the Radio and Television News Directors’ Association honored Jim for his stance on confidential sources. Jim has won 5 regional Emmy awards, along with an Edward R. Murrow award for investigative journalism, and a number of other journalism awards. Jim has appeared on NBC’s Nightly News, The Today show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Court TV, CNN and CNBC arguing for a federal shield law.