Jerome Ceppos Explained

Jerry Ceppos
Birth Name:Jerome Merle Ceppos
Birth Date:14 October 1946
Birth Place:Washington, D.C., U.S.
Death Place:Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Known For:Dark Alliance controversy
Alma Mater:University of Maryland
Employer:Louisiana State University
Occupation:Journalist, news executive, educator
Awards:Fellow, Society of Professional Journalists
Children:2

Jerome Merle Ceppos (October 14, 1946 – July 29, 2022) was an American journalist, news executive, and educator.

Ceppos was the former editor of San Jose Mercury News[1] and the Dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University.[2] Ceppos received positive recognition for his career in journalism but faced criticism for his failure to defend colleague Gary Webb following the publication of "Dark Alliance," a series of investigative reports linking the CIA and the Contras to the U.S. crack epidemic.[3] [4]

Early life and education

Ceppos was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. He attended Northwood High School, where he edited The Red and Black school newspaper. He graduated from University of Maryland in 1969 with a BA in journalism. While at the University of Maryland, he edited The Diamondback, the school's independent student newspaper.[5] He joined SDX, now the Society of Professional Journalists, and was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa.

Career

Gannett

Ceppos's first full-time professional position was at the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, where he was reporter, assistant city editor, and night city editor between 1969 and 1972.[6]

Knight-Ridder

In 1972, he moved to the Miami Herald, where he was assistant city editor, their first national foreign editor, and assistant managing editor for news before moving to the San Jose Mercury News in 1981, where he was associate editor, managing editor, senior vice president, and executive editor. While managing editor, the newspaper won two First Amendment]] to hang in the school. He continued his professional goals by increasing diversity hiring and changing the curriculum to require cross-platform training for all students.

Louisiana State University

In July 2011, he became dean and William B. Dickinson Distinguished Professor at the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University. He repeated his display of the First Amendment and moved the curriculum toward online media. He taught media ethics. He stepped down as dean at the end of the 2017–2018 academic year. He continued to teach "Media Writing," "Media Management," and "Media Ethics and Social Responsibility."[7] He died at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on July 29, 2022. "[8]

Other work

Ceppos was consultant with Leading Edge Associates, a management consulting firm in San Jose, California, from 2006 to 2009. In 2007, he was Fellow in media ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University.

Controversies

Dark alliance

Gary Webb, a reporter for The Mercury News hired in 1987 while Ceppos was executive editor, conducted a year-long investigation of cocaine dealing in Los Angeles, which was published in The Mercury News in three segments between August 18 and August 20, 1996, under the title "Dark Alliance."[9] Initial prsise for the series was followed by criticism from major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times'x. After initially defending the series, Ceppos commissioned an internal review.[10] At the end of March 1997, Ceppos told Webb that he was going to publish the internal review findings in a column, which appeared on May 11, 1997.

Ceppos took personal responsibility for the series and its flaws in his opening sentence, writing "Few things in life are harder than owning up to one's shortcomings, but I need to tell you about an important case in which I believe that we fell short of my standards for the Mercury News." In the column, Ceppos continued to defend parts of the series, writing that it had "solidly documented" that the drug ring described in the series did have connections with the Contras and sold large quantities of cocaine in inner-city Los Angeles. But, Ceppos wrote, the series "did not meet our standards" in four areas. 1) It presented only one interpretation of conflicting evidence and in one case "did not include information that contradicted a central assertion of the series." 2) The series' estimates of the money involved was presented as fact instead of an estimate. 3) The series oversimplified how the crack epidemic grew. 4) The series "created impressions that were open to misinterpretation" through "imprecise language and graphics."

Ceppos noted that Webb did not agree with these conclusions. His column concluded, asking, "How did these shortcomings occur? ... I believe that we fell short at every step of our process: in the writing, editing and production of our work. Several people here share that burden ... But ultimately, the responsibility was, and is, mine."[11]

Ceppos's mea culpa won praise in the journalism profession. He was awarded, along with two others, the first Ethics in Journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists for "superior ethical conduct."

Critics suggested Ceppos had caved to outside pressure, including that of the government and its agencies.

The 2014 film Kill the Messenger was based on the controversy with Oliver Platt playing Ceppos. Opinions about the movie paralleled those about the original series. There was controversy as to whether Ceppos had been contacted or not regarding the factual aspects of the movie.

Webb was found dead in his [Carmichael, California]

home on December 10, 2004, with two gunshot wounds to the head. His death was ruled a suicide by the Sacramento County coroner's office.

Pre-publication review

In August 1998 a financial story by Chris Schmitt was shared in its entirety with NASDAQ for fact-checking prior to publication. Changes were made prior to publication. This departure from standard journalism practice raised ethical questions regarding the relationship between journalists and the subjects they cover, who are not assumed to have control over the content of publication.[12]

Media

Publications

Electronic media

Memberships and honors

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Jerry Ceppos, former top editor of San Jose Mercury News, dies at 75 . en-US . Washington Post . 2022-08-08 . 0190-8286.
  2. Web site: 2022-07-31 . Jerry Ceppos, former top editor of The Mercury News, dead at 75 . 2022-08-08 . The Mercury News . en-US.
  3. Web site: 2005-03-01 . America’s Debt to Gary Webb . 2024-05-31 . Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting . en-US.
  4. Book: Mari, Will . Newsrooms and the Disruption of the Internet: A Short History of Disruptive Technologies, 1990–2010 . 2022-02-03 . Routledge . 978-1-000-57366-4 . en.
  5. News: Hoyt . Clark . Jerry Ceppos, former top editor of The Mercury News, dead at 75 . The Mercury news . 2022-07-30 . 2024-01-23.
  6. News: February 27, 1970. Clipped From Democrat and Chronicle. 9. Democrat and Chronicle. June 11, 2020. June 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611034959/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13135528/democrat-and-chronicle/. live.
  7. Web site: Archived copy . June 12, 2020 . appl101.lsu.edu . April 6, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200406161811/http://appl101.lsu.edu/booklet2.nsf/mainframeset. live.
  8. Web site: Jerry Ceppos, former top editor of The Mercury News, dead at 75. July 31, 2022.
  9. Web site: December 20, 1996. Dark Alliance: The Stories. June 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/19961220020436/http://www.sjmercury.com/drugs/stories.htm. December 20, 1996.
  10. Web site: April 9, 1997. Dark Alliance: Postscript. June 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/19970409180318/http://www2.sjmercury.com/drugs/postscript/controversy/controversy1103.htm. April 9, 1997.
  11. Web site: November 19, 1997. Epilogue Dark Alliance. June 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/19971119070955/http://www.sjmercury.com/drugs/column051197.htm. November 19, 1997.
  12. Web site: Armstrong. David. Writer. Examiner Media. September 3, 1998. Paper lets subject see story. June 10, 2020. SFGate. June 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200610023856/https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Paper-lets-subject-see-story-3071888.php. live.
  13. Web site: Leadership. June 11, 2020. LSU Museum of Art. en-US. April 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200410214024/https://www.lsumoa.org/leadership. live.
  14. Web site: Council Members – ACEJMC. June 11, 2020. en. February 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200202201809/http://www.acejmc.org/about/council-members/. live.
  15. Web site: SPJ honors Ceppos, Prather, Van Natta, as Fellows of the Society for exceptional service to journalism. June 12, 2020. www.spj.org. June 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611035000/https://www.spj.org/news.asp?ref=1441. live.
  16. Web site: April 12, 2017. Scripps Howard Awards honors 2016 winners. June 11, 2020. KMGH. en. June 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611035001/https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/national/scripps-howard-foundation-honors-best-journalism-of-2016. live.
  17. Web site: New York Times Wins Disability Reporting Award National Center on Disability and Journalism. June 12, 2020. en-US. June 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200612030349/https://ncdj.org/2014/10/new-york-times-wins-disability-reporting-award/. live.
  18. Web site: ProPublica Wins Disability Reporting Award National Center on Disability and Journalism. June 12, 2020. en-US. June 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200612030344/https://ncdj.org/2015/10/propublica-wins-disability-reporting-award/. live.
  19. Web site: ProPublica and PBS Frontline, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and Milwaukee PBS win top prizes in 2019 Schneider Disability Reporting Competition National Center on Disability and Journalism. June 12, 2020. en-US. June 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200612030344/https://ncdj.org/2019/10/propublica-and-pbs-frontline-milwaukee-journal-sentinel-and-milwaukee-pbs-win-top-prizes-in-2019-schneider-disability-reporting-competition/. live.
  20. Web site: ASNE Awards 2004. June 12, 2020. members.newsleaders.org. June 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200612030344/https://members.newsleaders.org/content.asp?contentid=93. live.
  21. Web site: ASNE Awards 2005. June 12, 2020. members.newsleaders.org. June 12, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200612030346/https://members.newsleaders.org/content.asp?contentid=91. live.
  22. Web site: ASJMC: Association of Schools of Journalism and Mass Communication. June 11, 2020. asjmc.org. June 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611035001/http://asjmc.org/activities/dsa_recipients.php. live.
  23. Web site: APME conferences and presidents, from 1933 to today – APME – Associated Press Media Editors. June 7, 2020. www.apme.com. April 25, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200425185213/https://www.apme.com/page/past_conferences. live.
  24. Web site: Ethics in Journalism Award – Society of Professional Journalists. June 12, 2020. www.spj.org. October 9, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191009064821/https://www.spj.org/a-ethics.asp. live.
  25. Web site: August 22, 2005. Knight Ridder Vice President/News Jerry Ceppos Announces Retirement. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200901030932/https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2005-08-22/-c-o-r-r-e-c-t-i-o-n-knight-ridder. September 1, 2020. June 12, 2020. Bloomberg.com.
  26. Web site: Jurors for the 1997 Pulitzer Prizes. June 11, 2020. AP NEWS. June 11, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200611034956/https://apnews.com/1842deb865ad35c70c95eee4b58038bf. live.
  27. Web site: May 18, 2015. Board of Visitors. June 12, 2020. Philip Merrill College of Journalism. en-US. April 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200413041144/https://merrill.umd.edu/about-merrill/board-of-visitors/. live.

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