Los Angeles City College: Administrators Threaten Student Journalists’ and Newspaper Adviser’s Rights
Cases
Los Angeles City College
Case Overview
On May 2, 2023, the LACC music department chair forced a student journalist from The Collegian to leave a public concert. Music department staff also attempted to eject another Collegian reporter from the music building while the student took pictures on assignment. After The Collegian’s adviser, Rhonda Guess, publicly criticized LACC’s recent treatment of Collegian journalists, LACC president called Guess into a meeting to discuss months-old emails questioning administrators’ treatment of the journalism program. On June 1 of that year, ݮƵAPP wrote LACC urging the college to stop interfering with student journalists’ expressive rights and to drop any potential investigation of Guess.
On August 8, 2023, administrators notified Guess of a draft policy barring photography outside of business hours anywhere on campus and imposing additional restrictions. On September 18, ݮƵAPP and the Student Press Law Center sent a joint letter to LACC, urging the college to stop its mistreatment of journalists and to forgo enacting the new policy. While LACC promised to “ensure … students have every right to cover events/news on … campus,” on October 2, the college stopped publishing The Collegian on its website after years of providing web space for the publication. ݮƵAPP and the SPLC again wrote LACC on October 31, 2023, demanding it restore The Collegian and cease its campaign against student media. The college did not respond to these letters. In December 2024, ݮƵAPP learned LACC planned to make further cuts to the journalism program, blaming budget pressure. On January 31, 2025, ݮƵAPP and the Journalism Association of Community Colleges wrote to LACC’s new president and its parent community college district’s chancellor, urging them to work with us to protect journalists’ rights on campus.