A reporter who went to jail to protect a source joins this Hall of Fame class
A former Fresno Bee reporter who was sent to jail for refusing to identify a confidential source is among this year’s inductees to the Media, Communications and Journalism Hall of Fame at Fresno State.
An Induction and Scholarship Reception to celebrate the honorees and recognize student scholarship recipients will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at the Speech Arts Building Studio A (Room 172).
Former Bee reporter Joe Rosato Sr. received recognition in 1976 when he and three other Bee staffers spent 15 days in jail rather than give up the name of a confidential source. During their incarceration, virtually all major media outlets in the country spoke out in their defense.
This year’s Hall of Fame class also includes Jim Tucker, a professor emeritus of journalism, who taught at Fresno State for 30 years.
The department also will celebrate Media, Communications and Journalism Fellows inductees: Albert Cano, manager of local media research at Univision Communications; Michael Carr, news director at ABC30; Chris Chiames, senior vice president for Corporate Communications at Sabre; Betsy Hays, public relations professor for the Department of Media, Communications and Journalism at Fresno State; Blair Looney, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau serving Central California and Inland Empire counties; Paul McDougal, owner of Paul McDougal Marketing; Jane Quebe, founder and president of JP Marketing; and Tom Uribes, Fresno State public information officer in University Communications.
Thirty students will be honored for receiving scholarships for the 2017-18 academic year.
The fundraiser event supports scholarships for future Media, Communications and Journalism Department students. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online before Nov. 7 or for $50 at the door. For more information, call 559-355-7602.
This story was originally published October 26, 2017 at 1:37 PM with the headline "A reporter who went to jail to protect a source joins this Hall of Fame class."