A veteran news chief, newspaper journalist and diversity advocate who taught for 30 years at San Francisco State University has died.
At 67, Raul Ramirez died Friday after battling esophageal cancer. He died days before he was scheduled to receive a Distinguished Service to Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Northern California chapter. Most recently, he was executive director of news and public affairs at KQED Public Radio, the most listened-to station of its kind nationally, where he held other roles since 1991.
An SFSU lecturer since 1983, Ramirez taught courses ranging from basic newswriting to investigative reporting and in the process became one of the most popular and admired instructors in the journalism department. Currently, the SFSU student body is more than 60 percent racial minorities.
SFSU journalism professor Jon Funabiki said Ramirez “insisted that journalism students think about the people and communities who were most often left out of news stories.”
Former department chairwoman Betty Medsger called Ramirez “a natural teacher” who passed on to students his zeal for journalism and his commitment to diversity.
“He was eager to share his experiences and skills,” Medsger said. “His classes were more than a lecture—they were an exchange.”
“An atmosphere of respect permeated his teaching—respect for what journalism could be when practiced at its best, respect for the students’ insights and for their potential,” Medsger added. “He set high standards that helped them [students] achieve.”
