Former UT editors-in-chief, alumni, and the TVFM department commemorated the student-run campus newspaper’s 75 years of delivering news to the student body, faculty, and the surrounding Cal State LA area on Saturday.
A display of front pages and headlines in the University Library captured the most impactful news throughout the years alongside a case of trophies and accolades. Alumni panelists shared how their journey from student journalists to industry professionals was shaped by their time at Cal State LA in a discussion moderated by current Editor-in-Chief Sasha Funes.
The panel featured Civil Eats audience engagement editor Marisa Martinez, WUSA reporter Jacqueline Quynh, LA Times managing editor Hector Becerra, and LA Times assistant managing editor Ruthanne Salido. All panelists were former editors-in-chief for the UT.
Panelists shared how humble beginnings as students on a college paper prepared them for jobs in the industry. They reminisced on late-night deadline-intensive layouts of the bi-weekly paper and covering events outside of their comfort zones, providing the necessary experience to reach their goals as editors and production managers.
“We were just a bunch of kids, you know?” Martinez said. “It was a really scrappy situation, but we were able to put out these really great stories, and all of that work that we did together really pushed all of us, I think, into our careers and what we wanted to do.”
The panelists also ruminated on the future of the industry and gave advice to fledgling journalists about overcoming challenges in an increasingly digital landscape. Becerra tackled the topic of artificial intelligence and how despite advancements in AI, he remains optimistic that it can never truly replicate the work of journalists.
“It doesn’t have curiosity, It can’t knock on doors, it can’t hold people accountable,” he said. “It can’t really tell you who’s corrupt, and why, and how they got there, and who needs to be held accountable, right? It can’t do those things.”
The University Times began circulating in 1948 as the College Times, when Cal State LA used to be called Los Angeles State College. In October of 1972, the paper was renamed to the University Times when Los Angeles State College received university status, adopting the Cal State title it is known by today.
Over its 75-year lifespan, the UT has covered a myriad of events from local to national throughout history, including President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1964 and the arrest of Cal State LA students during protests related to the 1965 Selma Marches at the Federal Building. Los Angeles-centric events included the 1984 Olympics, the 1994 Northridge earthquake, and the deaths of LA icons Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant.
Reporting by the UT has also led to changes in campus policy and practices. In October 2022, then-managing editor Victoria Ivie’s investigative story about the South Village dining hall exposed hostile and dangerous working conditions for employees and poor food quality. The investigation led to Cal State LA switching food providers from Aramark to Chartwells in January 2023.
The work produced by the UT has garnered awards for the paper and staff. In the past six years alone, the UT has won over 60 journalism awards from the College Media Association, the Los Angeles Press Club and the Society of Professional Journalists.
This article was first published in the October 9 print edition of the University Times.
