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Chapman University Journalism Program Director Susan Paterno received the President’s Award at the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) 40th Anniversary Conference and Expo for her work in mentoring Latino students.
“This award is not so much a recognition of my contributions but a celebration of the countless students who have dedicated themselves to the pursuit of truth and stories that matter,” Paterno said. “Having more Latino voices in newsrooms is essential for a vibrant, informed democracy.”
“I am deeply grateful to the NAHJ for its unwavering commitment to supporting and increasing the number of Latino journalists nationwide.”
In what NAHJ called a “moving exchange,” outgoing NAHJ President Yvette Cabrera presented Paterno – who was her college journalism professor – with the President’s Award.
Cabrera met Paterno during her studies at Occidental College in the 1990s.
She credits Paterno with teaching her the basic principles of journalism through the student newspaper and journalism courses.
“Occidental at the time did not have a journalism major. We could take journalism courses with Susan, which is how I met her, and she was also the advisor for the newspaper staff,” Cabrera said. “She taught our journalism courses, and so she really laid the foundation for me as a journalist.”
“Susan taught us that we as journalists deserve to be in places where we can ask the right questions in order to tell these stories.”
Cabrera recalls learning the importance of accessing information in order to fairly and accurately report on communities, especially communities of color.
“Those are the principles that I learned from Sue because she was that type of journalist, Cabrera said. “Someone who was working at the Orange County Register at the time, doing those investigations, uncovering information on behalf of the community, and telling those stories in the way that I also saw the need to do in Los Angeles, which was already diversifying.”
This summer, the university’s Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences appointed her to the endowed Tedeschi Professorship of Journalism, recognizing Paterno’s contributions to journalism and her commitment to education and research.
Paterno continues to mentor aspiring journalists through the Collegiate News Service, a collaboration with Voice of OC and Chapman University, where students engage in reporting on vital quality of life issues and civic news throughout Orange County.
“What Sue has continued to do with every generation of journalists that she’s taught is prepare them to do accountability journalism,” Cabrera said. “She has prepared them to do investigative pieces, to question, to understand that we do have a right to ask these questions on behalf of the community to ensure that they have the information that they need in order to live healthy lives, go to schools that are properly funded and to be represented at the at the at the city council level by representatives that are looking out for their best interests.”
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