Sen. Jim Ananich Last week, when the number-crunchers in Lansing were debating how much “extra” money might be in the state coffers next year and what to do with it, I didn’t hear nearly enough about how we can make sure we keep the focus on jobs and those who have been unemployed through no […]
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
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- 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.
Posted inGuest Commentary
A new day for Michigan teaching programs
Donald E. Heller We recently received the results of our students’ performance on the Michigan Department of Education’s Professional Readiness Examination. The department requires students to pass all three parts of the PRE test – reading, writing, and math – before they are allowed to do their student teaching. In our college, we require students […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
I want to ride my bicycle, and you might try it, too
Amber Hunt I’ve been riding my bike to work from Ferndale to Detroit for a while now. Three years ago, people thought this sounded crazy. But as bicycle ridership has increased across the country, fewer people give me weird looks when I walk into the office holding my helmet these days. Part of the reason […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Time for state to restore funding for education and struggling families
Pat Sorenson is a senior policy analyst at the Michigan League for Public Policy. A longtime child and family advocate, Sorenson holds a law degree and a master’s in social work. As Gov. Rick Snyder and the Michigan Legislature return from their holiday break, they will be refining their agendas for 2014 and, as always, […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Michigan must seize leading-edge auto jobs or be left behind
Doug Rothwell is president and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan. Today’s world is moving faster than ever before. Ideas, information, money, people…we’ve seen tremendous acceleration in just the last few decades, and there’s a lot more on the horizon. Here in Michigan, this isn’t just an abstract concept. As the birthplace of the world’s […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Supporting Michigan’s teachers and students
Sarah Lenhoff is director of policy and research at Education Trust-Midwest in Royal Oak. Michigan’s students have lost substantial ground over the last decade. Michigan has among the worst achievement gaps in the nation, and our state is not keeping up with the rest of the country – in achievement or improvement – according […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Self-interest in Washington threatens our republic
Mark Lemoine In 1787, as Benjamin Franklin was leaving the Constitutional Convention, he was asked, “What have we got, a republic or a monarch?” “A republic,” Franklin replied, “if you can keep it.” Perhaps Franklin’s pessimism stemmed from his knowledge that a republican form of government empowers the people to rule themselves, rather than bestowing […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Michigan residents need better access to mental health care
Marianne Udow-Phillips is the director of the Center for Healthcare Research & Transformation, a nonpartisan health policy center based at the University of Michigan with a mission to promote evidence-based care delivery, improve population health and expand access to care. Soon, many hundreds of thousands of Michigan citizens will be obtaining mental health coverage through […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Michigan needs a smart, statewide system to measure student growth
[An earlier version contained a summary of this column that was placed below the bylines, inadvertently making it appear as if that summary was written by the authors. The summary was in fact written by Bridge.] As Michigan education leaders who work in very different sectors, we often see education reform from different points of […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Proposed laws will make public records truly public
Charles Hill Most government officials and politicians will agree in public that the work of government should be transparent so citizens can judge whether money is being spent wisely and decisions are being made properly. But the reality is that getting your hands on specific government information isn’t always easy, even when the law says […]
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