By Nada Merghani
For the community of Santa Ana, California, there is a lighthouse of information at Santa Ana College. The community college is home to the el Don, a digital-first publication that belongs to the Associated Collegiate Press College Journalism Hall of Fame and Pacemaker 100. This small but mighty newsroom has provided reliable news to the community since 1923.
“We have a long legacy of award-winning journalism and excellence that came way before me,” said Sarah Bennett, associate professor of Journalism and Media Studies at Santa Ana College. “The student media outlet for Santa Ana College will be 100 [years old] in the fall”.
Bennett, the lone department member, serves as chair of the department and as advisor of the el Don and student media at Santa Ana College. Each semester, Bennett and the students utilize information needs assessments to help adapt the program to the requirements of the campus and the local community. The el Don posts online daily and can be found in print through its bi-monthly newsmagazine, a Back to School zine and 3-6 single topic zines released throughout the semester, available across the college’s campus and throughout the city.
“The students don't want to be on the internet anymore, because they're so sick of three years behind the screen,” Bennett said when speaking about the students’ emphasis towards print media. “They're like, ‘Oh, no, print still matters. Here's how we can do this print.’”
The content found in the el Don is created by students in seven different courses at the college, including classes like Multimedia News Production, Visual Reporting, and Writing Across Media. Students cover a variety of topics, ranging from local news to sports, and can enroll in any of the el Don courses without prior journalism experience.
The newsroom space they have is limited according to Carrie Graham, former el Don editor-in-chief and news editor.
“We have about a five by five-foot recording studio, and our actual newsroom, according to the fire marshal, is only supposed to have 11 people,” said Graham. “We're supposed to have a minimum of 20 students enrolled, so we have to split our class or break rules.” The program must book an adjacent classroom for lectures in order to have enough space for all the students.
The physical limitations created by their space do not inhibit the students from succeeding and finding recognition for their work. Bennett tells us visitors would express shock when they see all that the students can create in such a small space.
Bennett also reports strong ties with Voice of OC, a non-profit online news agency reporting on local issues covering Orange County. Santa Ana College is the only community college that contributes to Voice of OC’s Collegiate News Service, a collaboration in which the publication features work produced by student journalists about public policy in Orange County.
“We really focus on the community partners and the outlets that can support our students. The Voice of OC has been awesome for that,” said Bennett.
Lizeth Martinez, a political science major at Santa Ana College, affirms these claims when speaking about paid photojournalism assignments she has done for Voice of OC.
“The director of photography at Voice of OC reached out to me saying, ‘Hey, I like your pictures. I have a potential opportunity for you,’” Martinez recalls.
Graham also confirms support from the Voice of OC. Graham was writing about water bottle shortages at the beginning of the pandemic when her piece was picked up. According to Graham, “one of the people from Voice of OC saw it on our social media and asked if they could run it as well.” Graham also worked as an investigative reporter, producing a story with Voice of OC reporter Noah Biesiada.
With creative lenses like photojournalism and the push for physical media in the form of zines and a regular print newsmagazine, el Don is a publication that will hold strong for years to come. Academic advisors that think of their students and readers first, paired with students who are tapped into their community is a recipe for a newsroom that can quench the thirst of those living in the Orange County news desert.