Providence Journal Environmental Writer to Speak at URI Friends of Oceanography Free Public Lecture Narragansett, R.I. — February 28, 2001 — The explosive growth of the Internet has been both a boon and a challenge to journalists. Getting the word out has never been easier, but the competition for readers and listeners has also never been greater. Providence Journal environmental writer Peter Lord will discuss the challenges in journalism that the information superhighway has created in a URI Friends of Oceanography free public lecture on Wednesday, March 14 at 7 p.m. in the Coastal Institute Auditorium on the URI Bay Campus in Narragansett. Lord’s talk, A Whale of a Story: How Journalists Get the Word Out in the Internet Age, will focus on how the Providence Journal adapted its 4-part, front-page series on North Atlantic right whales for special presentation on the Internet. He will talk about how newspapers around the country, are experimenting with methods for telling stories on the web. The series can be accessed on the Internet at . Lord has been an environmental writer for the Providence Journal for 20 years. He teaches environmental journalism courses at URI and serves as Journalism Director for the URI Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting. He was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Society of Environmental Journalists, the largest organization in the world of journalists covering the environment. Lord has traveled to Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Alaska, northern Canada, Hawaii and the Shetland Islands for stories. Since completing the right whale series last fall, he has spent the last several months preparing a series about lead poisonings of children in Rhode Island. Recently, he has also been writing about the U.S. Supreme Court case of Palazzolo vs. Rhode Island concerning the development of 18 acres of wetlands along the state’s southern shoreline. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information or directions, call 874-6602. Established in 1985 to support and promote the activities of the URI Graduate School of Oceanography, Friends of Oceanography informs and educates the membership and the general public about the scientific, technological, and environmental research that takes place at GSO. The organization sponsors public lectures, open houses, marine-related mini-courses, science cruises on Narragansett Bay, and an annual auction. The Friends office is located in the Coastal Institute building on URI’s Narragansett Bay Campus. For information about Friends of Oceanography, call 874-6602. Contact: Lisa Cugini, 874-6642, lcugini@gso.uri.edu