San Francisco State alumni news

Linda Yee Lifetime Achievement Award

By Daniel Rivera

The SF State Journalism Department honored alumna Linda Yee, May 1, 2015, with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her prestigious work in journalism. Her career in broadcast news spans more than 30 years.

Yee recalled her interest in journalism starting when she was 12. She began reading newspapers and grew curious about world events and entertainment.

Yee said she pursued a career in broadcast journalism after growing up watching reporters interview the Beatles and other celebrities on TV.

“I saw what they were doing with the Beatles, and I wanted to interview interesting people,” Yee said. “Even though I started my career in newspaper, my goal was always TV.”

After graduating from SF State in 1973, Yee worked for the Fremont Argus newspaper and later switched to broadcast journalism, working as a reporter at KRON-TV from 1980-2005. She’s now a reporter at KPIX/CBS 5.

A range of media organizations, such as the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the Associated Press and the Asian American Journalists Association, has recognized her news coverage. She has also won six Emmys, including a National Emmy Award for her coverage of the 2009 Oscar Grant riots in Oakland.

“I thank the journalism department for even remembering me,” Yee said upon receiving her award. “I’ve met presidents, kings, good guys and bad guys-and I got all my inspiration from my professors.”

Yee encourages students to practice solid journalism and to continue sharpening skills.

“Read a lot other than the Internet,” Yee said. “Learn how to write clear and concise sentences and learn how to listen when you interview.”

Daniel Rivera is a recent SF State journalism graduate seeking an entry-level position in the field.


Legendary Journalism Professor Retires

By Daniel Rivera

SF State Journalism Department recently honored Professor Yvonne Daley who retired this spring after teaching at the university for 15 years. She is the author of several books and more than 5,000 non-fiction articles, features and news stories.

“You don’t do it for the money, you do it for the students,” Daley said, taking the podium at an alumni reception.

Erna Smith, department chair when Daley’s teaching career began at SF State in 1998, said Daley’s devotion to her students’ education made her an exceptional member of the department.

“I was just so blown away by the things she’s done,” Smith said. “She had a gift of getting a story out of everybody. I really did like how she made everyone feel like they can write. Writing is fun for her.”

Lisa Carmack, recent grad, took to the microphone during the event to thank Daley for inspiring her when she studied abroad in Ghana last year.

“This woman is absolutely incredible,” Carmack said. “Her heart and her values resonate in what I want journalism to be in the future.”

Daley spent the night conversing with former students who came to thank her for all she did for them. She said her students’ success is what motivated her to teach the next generation of journalists.

Daley plans to spend her time away from SF State traveling, writing and hopes to “not grade another paper.”

The annual gathering concluded with a discussion between Daley and David Talbot, co-founder of the online magazine Salon, and author of the best-selling book “Season of the Witch.” Their remarks focused on the creation of what Talbot calls “San Francisco values” through the turbulent 1970s and ’80s.

“San Francisco values were not born with flowers in their hair,” Talbot said. “They were born with strife.”

Talbot later said gentrification-and the policymakers who perpetrate it-threaten the values the city is known for. He urged guests to practice in-depth journalism to address the future of the city.

Daniel Rivera is a recent SF State journalism graduate seeking an entry-level position in the field.


Journalism Enrollment Surges Despite Trending National Decline

By Daniel Rivera

Enrollment has doubled at SF State’s Journalism Department since 2012 while other programs across the country have reported declines, according to data from University of Georgia.

The SF State department’s most recent enrollment figures predict 450 students will be enrolled in Fall 2015, a 72 percent increase from 270 in the Fall 2012 school year.

According to Georgia’s Cox Center, enrollment in journalism and mass communication programs across the United States has steadily declined since 2012. The data found the drop reversed what was a steady increase in communication program enrollment over the last 20 years.

Cristina Azocar, Ph.D., Journalism Department chair at SF State, credits the work of the department’s faculty for the enrollment increase.

“We have a reputation of being an excellent program with excellent faculty without the cost of an expensive university,” Azocar said.

She is confident the department will continue to attract students from around the country because of the department’s exceptional reputation and diversity.

Daniel Rivera is a recent SF State journalism graduate seeking an entry-level position in the field.


Reporter Trey Bundy Honored

Trey Bundy, reporter for Reveal, a publication covering social issues relating to children, has been honored at SF State Journalism’s outstanding alumnus of 2015 for his public service journalism.

After beginning his career at The San Francisco Chronicle, he joined The Bay Citizen, where he covered child welfare, juvenile justice, education and crime.

His work also has appeared in The New York Times, SF Weekly, The Huffington Post,  the PBS NewsHour, Planet magazine and other news outlets. He has won three awards from the Society of Professional Journalists.


Longtime Reporter Al Martinez Dies

Pulitzer-Prize-winning journeyman reporter Al Martinez—a former staffer and columnist at The Oakland Tribune from 1955 to 1971 and The Los Angeles Times from 1972-2007—died January 12. He attended SF State from 1947-1950.

Martinez, 85, was the recipient of three team Pulitzer Prizes for his Times columns, as well as the prestigious Headliner Award for Best Feature Column in the United States.

After he took a Times buyout in 2007, Martinez returned to the paper when readers protested. He later moved on to the Los Angeles Daily News. Martinez also authored 14 books.