Journalism maestro signs off in East L.A.after exile, triumphs

After more than five decades at East Los Angeles College, journalism professor Jean Stapleton found herself last 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 81year-old student-run outlet, Campus News.

- BY ANDREW J. CAMPA

JASON ARMOND Los Angeles Times JEAN STAPLETON spent more than 50 years teaching journalism in East L.A.

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 some- one'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.

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.