Claremont COURIER/FocusWomen 2015

Citrus journalism professor has made a big impact

itrus College professor Meg

ONeil may not live in Claremont,
but she helps shape the citys news
every day. Three of the COURIERs five
editorial staff members went through her
journalism program.
Editor Kathryn Dunn and reporter Sarah Torribio
were on the Citrus College Clarion staff in the early
90s. COURIER page designer and calendar editor
Jenelle Rensch honed her skills from 2006 to 2008 on
the Clarion staff and through the now-defunct student
magazine Logos.
You learned there are strict rules about good journalism, like using multiple sources, writing a good
lead, where to include informationand you learned
to get it right, Ms. Dunn said.
Eryn ONeal was on the Clarion staff from 2004 to
2006, serving two terms as editor-in-chief, and is now
pursuing a doctorate in criminology and criminal justice at Arizona University. Her scholarly interests include intimate partner sexual assault (IPSA) and she
has had her research published in numerous peer-reviewed journals. She gives Ms. ONeil, who would
return her story drafts bleeding with red-ink corrections, much of the credit for her success.
Meg single-handedly taught me the importance of
the written word and its power to facilitate discussion
and change. She also taught me how to write, Ms.
ONeal said.
Ms. Rensch likewise benefited from Ms. ONeils
mentorship. Because Meg had such high standards, I
was always surprised she believed in me, she said.
It made me think maybe she was on to something.

COURIER photo/Steven Felschundneff

Journalism instructor Meg ONeil works with students before the start of a COMM 101 class on Monday at Citrus College. Ms. ONeil was hired by Citrus in 1990 to teach English and journalism but due to increased enrollment in the journalism program, she eventually moved to that department full-time.

What Ms. ONeil has been onto, from day one, is a

fierce love of newswriting and reporting.
I think journalism is a force for good, or can be a
force for good, she said. The interplay of reporting
news is essential to an informed voter base and therefore a democratic society.
Ms. ONeil came by her love of journalism hon-

estly. Her grandfather was a German immigrant who

published German-language newspapers across the
United States. Still, Ms. ONeil didnt set out to be a
journalism teacher.
She was an Air Force brat whose father was a B17 navigator during World War II. She lived in Guam
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