What if we took a different approach, one where we invested our public dollars in preventing environmental disasters and other harms from happening in the first place? This is at the core of prevention thinking in policymaking.
Guest Commentary
At Bridge, we believe in listening to voices from all over our state. Got something to say? Contact us and join the conversation (details below)
How to submit a Guest Commentary
What to know:
Bridge welcomes a diversity of voices and perspectives from readers on issues important to Michigan. Guest commentaries reflect the views of the author(s), and are independent of the nonpartisan, fact-driven reporting of Bridge’s newsroom staff.
Commentaries must be the author’s original work and preferably will not have appeared first in other publications. Bridge reserves the right to decline submissions at our discretion.
We reserve the right to edit commentary for grammar, clarity, brevity or to address legal or factual concerns. We may offer editing suggestions, but in the service of making your work more accessible, not to alter your views.
We do not pay for guest commentary.
Here are some guidelines:
- Columns are usually 500-700 words
- They generally focus on a Michigan topic or policy and should avoid ad hominem attacks
- The more direct, distinct and/or intimate your perspective, the more effective your column will be
- The best columns do more than identify problems; they also offer solutions and facts to back them up
- Please include a one- or two-sentence bio, including the writer’s organization or relevant background.
- Authors must show their work, by backing up facts with links to reports or studies
- Bridge does not publish self-promotional columns or candidate endorsements
- Send a good quality, large headshot of the writer(s) as an attachment
- We also ask that, in return for publishing a guest commentary, the author(s) and their organizations generously promote the link to the published column through your Facebook, Twitter and other social or professional networks.
That’s about it. Keep the writing clear, conversational and free of jargon, and sell our smart and receptive readership on the argument you are trying to make.
Who to contact:
Email your submission or idea to guestcommentary@bridgemi.com. Please briefly describe who you are and what you would like to say and put the words “guest commentary” in the email subject line.
Opinion | As families travel this spring, vaccines help keep kids healthy and in school
Measles cases continue to be reported across the country, and with families traveling over spring break, the risk of exposure increases. What happens elsewhere does not stay elsewhere.
Opinion | Cancer patients like me need 340B drug-pricing reform that puts us first
Michigan needs to ensure no entity can misuse 340B, a program meant for patients. Michigan lawmakers have a chance to be leaders in this fight. They must reject proposals like House Bill 4878 that lack real accountability and guardrails.
Opinion | Strengthening rural governance in Michigan
We need to move beyond treating structural, systemic struggles in rural Michigan as isolated examples. We must help communities prepare for fast, unpredictable change with strong governance.
Opinion | Informed voting requires judicial transparency in Michigan
Access to court records could eliminate barriers to attendance at public court proceedings, but unlike other states that have a statewide presumption of public access to these records, there is no uniform statewide policy in Michigan.
Opinion | Clean energy is winning, actually, in Michigan
The simplest reason renewable energy dominates new energy generation is affordability. Renewable energy is also winning because it can be built faster — a critical advantage as demand surges.
Opinion | It’s cloudy this Sunshine Week. Two people can part the skies
Transparency should not depend on who holds the gavel. It should not depend on who occupies the governor’s office. It should not be weaponized when convenient and abandoned when power changes hands.
Opinion | Michigan’s health care is failing chronic pain patients, but we can do better
Instead of restricting 7-OH and failing chronic pain patients, Michigan needs to fix a health care system that has been broken for years and focus on strengthening chronic pain care.
Opinion | Massive national forest project needs a closer look at impacts, alternatives
The Forest Service must take a more careful look at the project’s impact on the adjacent Sturgeon River Gorge Wilderness, surrounding state and private lands, and the long-term health of the Ottawa National Forest.
Opinion | Graduation rates rise while student achievement flatlines
Rising graduation rates coupled with declining achievement should raise the question: Are public schools lowering their standards for measuring student success?