After more than five decades at East Los Angeles College, journalism professor Jean Stapleton found herself this week packing up trophies, plaques and newspaper clips that documented the many journalism awards and blockbuster stories she helped shepherd as advisor to the college’s 81-year old student-run outlet, Campus News.
Stapleton’s tenure has not been easy. She has mentored several of Los Angeles’ top journalists but has also had to overcome scandal and a brief demotion.
All of that is now in the past. Stapleton, chair of and the only full-time staffer in ELAC’s journalism department, is retiring.
Her replacement has not been announced yet.
“This is going to be someone’s project and it’s a big and important one,” she said in an interview about the position and her departure. “There’s just so much to process.”
Her publication won several awards, including the 2015 General Excellence Award, and the Mark of Excellence Award from the Society of Professional Journalists. She help guide journalism stars such as my colleague Steve Padilla, former Times and Washington Post art director Susana Sanchez, Eastsider publisher Jesus Sanchez and Associated Press reporter Dorany Pineda.
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Through a time when journalism and newspapers struggled to maintain relevancy in an age of 24-hour cable news, pervasive social media sites and the decline of civic engagement, Stapleton taught would-be journalists to challenge campus and community authorities, break news stories and even rectify mistakes when needed.
Stapleton spoke with Essential California about some of the key milestones in her 55-year career.
The Campus News, which Jean Stapleton advises, has won several awards over the years.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
ELAC enjoys its Watergate moment
Campus News documented in February 1988 what became an embarrassing scandal for the school and the Los Angeles Community College District, which oversees ELAC and eight other campuses.
Hal Mintz, chairman of ELAC’s business department, had the license of a West Hollywood message parlor that he co-owned, revoked based on recommendations from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
The agency noted at least 10 women had been arrested at the business for sex-related offenses over a three-year period, according to documents discovered by the student newspaper.
Mintz had also been using the campus’ address for other personal business, a violation of the district policy.
The drama was covered in the Campus News by student David Courtland.
“He was driving to the court everyday and enjoyed feeling what it was like to be a professional journalist,” she said. “He was even speaking with and swapping info with L.A. Times reporters, which is important for our students.”
Within months, Mintz pleaded no contest to conspiracy to maintain a house of prostitution and two counts of state income tax evasion.
Jean Stapleton, journalism chair at East Los Angeles Community College, with students Cameron Maldonado-Olea, left, Kristian Holman and Ariana Maldonado.
(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)
The semester Stapleton was exiled
Campus News also published a leaked student transcript in May 1988 that appeared to show that ELAC’s student body president was short two classes of being a full-time student, making her ineligible for the post.
The story enraged campus and district officials and played a role in Stapleton’s ousting, despite a later retraction.
She was transferred against her wishes from ELAC to Pierce College in Woodland Hills in May 1989 and was demoted from journalism head to an instructor, according to Times reporting. LACCD officials said then that the move was “for the good of the school.”
“The school tried to chill freedom of the press and I’m grateful for all those in the news industry who came to my defense,” she said.
Stapleton fought the transfer and, with the aid of the teacher’s union, returned to ELAC in February 1990.
One graduate’s thoughts
When Christopher Yee arrived at ELAC in 2010, journalism wasn’t on his mind. But one day, he received a nudge.
“I was working at the ELAC Writing Center and a fellow tutor who wrote for the newspaper told me to consider Journalism 101,” he said. “That’s when it started.”
Yee moved into covering sports at Campus News and then edited the front page before he became editor-in-chief in 2011.
“I’m like most students who graduate from the program in that she made us well-rounded and ready to jumped into journalism,” Yee said. “She was a stickler for AP style and grammar and we learned to recognize a good news story.”
Yee eventually covered local government in parts of the San Gabriel Valley for the Southern California News Group from 2016 to 2020. He has since transitioned into a communications specialist for the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
“So many of the students who came through her program owe our interests and our career to Jean,” Yee said. “We wouldn’t be where we’re at without her.”
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