Second Publisher of Student Paper Fired

Marc Haefele on Thursday became the second publisher of Cal State Los Angeles’ student newspaper to be fired in less than a year after squabbles with administrators over negative articles about campus activities.

Haefele replaced former University Times publisher and journalism teacher Joan Zyda on April 20, a day after she was dismissed over issues of press freedom.

“I’ve encouraged reporters to initiate stories, some of them harsh, on the administration,” said Haefele, 46, who worked as a journalism teacher at CSLA when he assumed Zyda’s position. “I don’t think they want an independent, credible newspaper here.”

Haefele, whose dismissal takes effect April 18, added, “But I lasted twice as long as Joan, I’m proud of that.”

In March, Zyda filed a federal lawsuit against the university and five officials, alleging that her First Amendment rights of free expression were violated when she was fired. Zyda said she filed the U.S. District Court suit “to put a strong light on the First Amendment house of horrors” at the Los Angeles campus.

She alleges that she was fired because of the paper’s investigative articles in the aftermath of the October, 1987, earthquake in which a student was crushed to death on the campus. Zyda is now teaching journalism at the UCLA Extension program.