In the early 1990s, Ohio native Mary Lou Brink left her home state for Central Michigan. On Feb. 3, 2014, she returned to Ohio as the business editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, bringing with her a wealth of experience in traditional and digital journalism, as well as a clear vision for the paper’s business coverage
Before leaving for Michigan, Brink worked as a reporter for a small paper called The Circleville Herald in Circleville, Ohio. There, she covered everything from school boards to police, government and courts. She even took her own photos. However, she truly cut her teeth in journalism at the modestly sized Midland Daily News in Midland, Mich., where she worked her way up from courts reporter to metro editor. She stayed there for nearly ten years before heading to Fort Wayne, Ind., where she eventually served as managing editor of The News-Sentinel. From there, she became the interactive media and niche publications director for Fort Wayne Newspapers and FortWayne.com.
Having progressed from a reporter at small daily in rural Ohio to the business editor for the state’s largest newspaper, Brink has gained ample experience in a variety of journalistic settings. Moreover, her time overseeing online media in Fort Wayne exposed her to a vast new digital media landscape. These experiences – working for both small and large publications, both online and off – have positioned her as a prime candidate to move The Plain Dealer’s business coverage forward while staying true to traditional standards of journalism.
“In my most recent past working as an online news director, I do have a good grasp of how things in this new age of journalism are going,” she said. “I oversaw division and direction of four different websites. Two of them were news sites, one was a magazine site and the third was a niche site directed towards moms.”
Brink is truly excited to be joining The Plain Dealer, a publication she respects in a city that she believes is worthy of attention.
“I think it’s a good fit. I already feel like I’m at home because everybody here has a passion for doing good journalism, and I’ve always felt that I’ve been a passionate journalist. I really care about doing quality journalism no matter the medium – print or online. The basics are still the same, and they get that here. We all understand what makes a great story, what’s relevant and useful to readers. So I already feel at home, and it’s only been two weeks.”
“Cleveland gets a bad rap,” she continued. “I don’t think it gets the credit it deserves. It has a lot to offer.”
Brink sees much promise in Cleveland’s economy – from old warehouses flipped into trendy condos, or burgeoning restaurants popping up in the metro area. She also views the city as fertile ground to cover broader trends in business.
“I am really excited about all the different new stories that can be done on energy, and this buzzword of sustainability,” she said. “That seems to be the code word for lots of businesses these days. That’s very exciting.”
As a recent transplant to the city, she does imagine it’ll take some effort to familiarize herself with Cleveland’s business scene and her new readership. She describes her short term goal as “learning about what’s important to Cleveland, what’s important for our readers, and getting a good grasp of what our business consumers here are looking for in their news stories.”
In the long term, she wants to “make business cool again” and “find that sweet spot” between B2B stories and the interests of everyday consumers.
“Making business cool again – I call that my mantra around here,” she explained. “Having those relevant stories that are useful for people every day, not just the standard mix of business to business and corporate earnings stories. So we want to find that sweet spot, that good mix.”
Looking ahead, Brink does anticipate some challenges in her new role, but none that should come as a surprise.
“Journalism is chock full of challenges every day, especially with the new world of online versus print,” she said. “How do we marry those, and everybody get along? Where do we find a place between fulfilling our print readership’s needs and desires, while also making an online audience happy?”
With a firm grasp on print and digital media, and a proven track record of producing both, Brink is very well equipped to handle such challenges for The Plain Dealer.
Pitching Tips
Pitch her via email and follow up with a call, when appropriate. She does not appreciate what she describes as “overzealous PR people,” so avoid aggressive pitching.
“And I have done PR for short stints throughout my career,” she said. “I understand the public relations job and what you need to do. But calling me ten times a day about the same pitch is a little overzealous.”
Trend pieces catch her attention, especially those with a “gee-whiz” element that has broad implications. For example, she cites a press release from a florist who used drones to deliver flowers: “Give me some context, the bigger picture. We need to be talking to UPS, FedEx, the USPS and other traditional package carriers – what do they think about this? Are they going to compete? So it’s the gee-whiz stories that you can take to the next step.”
