Jerry Seppos: Who was that? how did he die?

 

What happened to Jerry Seppos?

Renowned editor and professor Jerry Seppos died on Friday after a long battle with the disease. He was 75 years old.

Cepos was executive editor and senior vice president of The San Jose Mercury News and former vice president of news at Night Ridder. Seppos also made his mark as a teacher of journalists. He headed the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno, before taking over the Manship School of Mass Communication at Louisiana State University in 2011. His wife Karen Seppos reportedly said that her husband died of sepsis after a bad infection.

Jerry Ceppos. about

Jerry Seppos might also say that he “grew up” in the role of editor. He edited papers in both his high school and his university, Maryland. After finishing college, he worked as a reporter and editor for a local newspaper in Rochester, New York. Three years later, he began working as an editor for what would eventually become the Night Ridder newspaper at the Miami Herald.

In his role as Vice President of News at Night Ridder, Seppos handled the operations of the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States. These magazines included the Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Detroit Free Press, Kansas City Star, Charlotte Observer and twenty-six dailies.

Ceppos has the unique distinction of becoming the first journalist to receive the Society of Professional Journalists’ Ethics in Journalism Award for publicly acknowledging the flaws in the reporting of a Mercury news investigative series.

During Cepos’ tenure as managing editor, the daily was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes. For the late Larry Jinks, longtime publisher of The Mercury News, Jerry Seppos, exemplified the ideal journalist. “Jerry Seppos was a brilliant journalist – bright, principled, tireless, committed to honesty and fairness,” commented Jinks.

“Sepos will be buried in Miami during a private family service,” the Mercury News said. A memorial service for him will later be opened to the public. Donations can be sent to the Manship School or any other charity of your choice.