Raul Ramirez’s Final Gift to Journalism
Our beloved and respected colleague Raul Ramirez, KQED Public Radio’s executive director of news and public affairs, died Nov. 15 at age 67. Before his death, Raul was scheduled to receive the 2013 Distinguished Service to Journalism Award from the Northern California chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Because he was gravely ill, Raul asked Renaissance Journalism’s Jon Funabiki, who had known Raul for more than 25 years, to read his address on his behalf. The event, following just four days after Raul’s passing, was bittersweet as Jon shared Raul’s inspiring insights about the journalistic values of diversity and excellence with his peers.