Newsmakers get their due

BGSU alumni inducted into 2016 Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame

By Amber Stark ’99

Bowling Green State University alumni journalists are usually in the habit of covering the news, but recently, when the Press Club of Cleveland inducted its 2016 Cleveland Journalism Hall of Fame class, they made the news.

Elizabeth (Kimes) McIntyre ’89, Michael McIntyre ’87 and Eva Parziale ’82 were three of seven inductees at the ceremony in Westlake on Nov. 10.

Today, Elizabeth McIntyre is publisher and editor at Crain's Cleveland Business, Michael McIntyre is a columnist with The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer and host/producer of WCPN's “Sound of Ideas,” and Parziale is regional director in the East region for the Associated Press.

“I was stunned to learn I had been considered for induction into the Press Club of Cleveland Hall of Fame,” Parziale said. “It’s a tremendous honor for me to be included among the greats in the news business in Ohio. I am also grateful for the recognition because it gives me a chance to thank and honor the many mentors and journalism colleagues who inspired and encouraged me through the years. I can categorically say I would not be here without them.”

Elizabeth McIntyre also was surprised and honored when she learned about the induction.

“I was shocked, but also thrilled,” she said. “It means the world to me that my husband and I are being inducted together.”

Michael McIntrye, who earned a bachelor’s of journalism in 1987, echoed those feelings.

“It’s a huge honor to be inducted along with my wife, whose career and work ethic I respect so much,” he said. “Especially in this age, when fair journalism is under attack and fake news is on the rise, I appreciate the recognition of journalists like Eva Parziale and Elizabeth and me who are dedicated to informing the public in a transparent and accountable way.”

McIntyre started at The (Lorain) Morning Journal and moved quickly to The Plain Dealer where he has been for 26 years.

“I’ve had the opportunity to cover all kinds of news and do all kinds of writing, from the weekly column on standup comedy to long-form takeouts in the Sunday Magazine to a regular metro column,” he said. “Six years ago, I took over ‘The Sound of Ideas,’ a daily public affairs radio talk show on the Cleveland NPR member station, WCPN. It makes life busy, but I love the variety.”

After graduating in 1989, Elizabeth McIntyre worked at The Morning Journal, where she met Michael, for about a year before starting a 20-year career with The Plain Dealer. She chose BGSU because its journalism program had a good reputation and it seemed like a good fit.

“My four years at BGSU were phenomenal,” she said. “I learned so much. I made lifelong friends.”

She still gets together with her former roommates every month.

“I was very active and involved on campus,” she said, adding that she had a theater minor. “I think that’s key to having a great experience.”

Parziale, who received her bachelor’s in journalism in 1982, also recalled her “wonderful experience at BGSU,” which included being named the Outstanding Graduate in her class.

“The professors and instructors were top-notch – from Jim Gordon to Emil Dansker," she said. "Bob Bortel was the best adviser the BG News could have had: smart, supportive and so nice to everyone. My fellow students – before, during my time there, and after – were inspirational. Many went on to stellar careers in newspapers and public relations.”

All three inductees fondly remember their time at the BG News.

“I got ink in my blood while working as an editor at the BG News," Parziale said. "That experience, along with a series of co-ops off-campus, went a long way toward preparing me for a career in news.”  

Since graduating from BGSU, she has spent three decades with the AP as a reporter, editor, bureau chief and director in eight cities.

Michael McIntyre originally chose BGSU because he was interested in teaching, and the University had a good reputation in that area.

“But a BG News editor came to my freshman English class and put out a call for reporters,” he said. “I went and found an instant home.

“My experience was awesome because the paper gave us a chance to learn by doing. It was an apprenticeship with interesting classes thrown in.”

Elizabeth McIntyre returned to journalism in 2014 after a four-year stint in public relations.

“When I look back to 1989 when we weren’t even paginating pages, we were still cutting and pasting, technology has just transformed journalism,” she said. “I never could have imagined where we would be today from where I was when I graduated.

“I’ve very grateful for everything that BGSU gave me. It really gave me a foundation for a career – a successful career – and I will always be grateful for that.”