Dr. Anthony Fauci to Receive SJSU's Hearst Award
On Tuesday, November 17, 2020, the faculty in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at San José State University will present the William Randolph Hearst Foundation Award for excellence in mass communication to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
Throughout the COVID-19 global pandemic, public opinion surveys nationwide have consistently reported Dr. Fauci as the medical expert most Americans trust and sought out for timely and reliable information about the deadly virus.
As Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NAID) since 1984, Dr. Fauci has earned a national reputation for timely and astute professional public communications about developing health threats to the United States. Before his work during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Fauci was best known for his groundbreaking work in HIV-AIDS research, helping to develop effective drugs to scale back its mortality rate. Dr. Fauci has also spearheaded the federal government’s public responses to combat West Nile Virus, SARS and Ebola.
"Dr. Anthony Fauci was the unanimous choice of our faculty because it was obvious by late spring 2020 that most Americans prioritized knowing what his thoughts were to help them understand the gravity of COVID-19 and determine how to save lives," says Bob Rucker, professor in the SJSU School of Journalism and Mass Communications and coordinator of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation’s annual award and national media education top honor. Rucker, a former CNN correspondent in San Francisco who covered the initial outbreak of the AIDS epidemic, said "Dr. Fauci has once again masterfully drawn on his extensive medical training and experiences to educate and advise people while maintaining a calming, reassuring doctor’s tone and bedside manner that inspires confidence."
SJSU students, faculty and staff, and community leaders will participate in the celebration of Dr. Anthony Fauci in a virtual ceremony Tuesday, November 17, 2020 at 2 pm. Space is limited, and registration is required.
History of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation Award
In the 1990s, the SJSU Journalism School received a William Randolph Hearst Foundation Endowment for Visiting Professionals. It established the creation of a special honor for outstanding professional media service in journalism, public relations, advertising and mass communications. Each year, an honoree’s work is showcased for students and celebrated for efforts that meet the expectations and high standards for public service by a free press, as provided in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The School of Journalism and Mass Communications (JMC) was founded in 1936 and is the largest of its kind in Northern California. It remains dedicated to the proposition that the free flow of ideas, together with accurate and timely information, is vital to developing and improving democratic societies. Today, the JMC School is recognized worldwide for producing outstanding graduates who become leaders in global communications.
