(Bridge archive photo/Sam Zomer) If you wanted to create a system that limits educational options and consigns the vast majority of poor American children to continue to live in poverty, just look around you. Whether you live in urban or rural America, the results of an educational design which cripples young learners who are […]
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.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Wayne County’s economy is doing better than you think
(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) There has been an unrelenting dose of bad news in local newspapers and on national television about the city of Detroit’s financial difficulties, but one measure of business establishment employment in Wayne County is showing relatively healthy growth. And if the city of Detroit gets its financial problems under […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
With tough decisions, GOP lawmakers put Michigan on path for better future
DOING GOOD WORK: House Speaker Jase Bolger applauds a colleague in the Michigan House. The Republican from Marshall argues that the GOP majorities in the Legislature have been making tough decisions that will result in a better future for Michigan. (courtesy photo/Mlive.com) Why won’t politicians tackle tough issues? Why won’t the Legislature look long-term? […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Republicans hold the wheel, are driving Michigan into the ditch
WRONG WAY: The Republican majorities in the Legislature have enacted policies that harm Michigan families, schoolchildren and workers, argues House Democratic leader Tim Greimel. (courtesy photo/Michigan House Democrats) Republicans hold an absolute monopoly on power in the state of Michigan. With majorities in the House and Senate and with a Republican in the governor’s office, […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
One policy change can help end blight of abandoned property in Michigan
CURE FOR BLIGHT: Financial commitments commonly used in the mining, petroleum and telecom industries could, if applied to residential and commercial development, help bring an end to the scourge of abandoned buildings in Michigan, argue MSU’s Rex LaMore and Michelle LeBlanc. (Bridge archive photo)For decades, many U.S. communities have suffered from population loss and economic […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Obamacare seems to be helping to curtail health costs
CHRT graphic. CLICK TO ENLARGE In recent months, a conversation has burgeoned in health and public policy forums about the slowdown in the growth of health-care spending. We are all asking the same questions: Is this slowdown real? Are some of the past cost containment efforts and recent provisions in the federal Affordable Care […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
A quick beginner’s guide to the world of Michigan craft beers
BEER SPLASH: Perrin Brewing isn’t as well-known as other craft brewers from the Grand Rapids area, writes Danielle Casavant, but it’s rapidly raising its profile among the ever-growing ranks of Michigan brewers. (courtesy photo/mlive.com) It’s hard to beat a refreshing beer on a warm summer day — and in Michigan these days, beer drinkers are […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Moving from defense to offense for Michigan’s entrepreneurs
(courtesy image/mlive.com) Every basketball fan has seen it: Your hard working team plays great and goes into halftime with a big lead. But in the second half that same team looks entirely different, as the players stop doing all the aggressive, scrappy things that gave them the lead, and instead begin playing with the sole […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Immigrants can help revitalize Michigan
(courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) Michigan State University and its surrounding community of Lansing-East Lansing are among the Top 10 for largest international student enrollment in the United States. Each fall, more than 6,500 international students — 1,800 of whom are new to the university — arrive in East Lansing. And these growing numbers […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Detroit’s art treasures represent legacy we must protect
By Maud Lyon/CultureSource NOT FOR SALE: Detroit’s artistic legacy was a gift and remains a public trust. It cannot be sold off like a company’s office equipment, argues Maud Lyon. (Bridge archive photo) For 128 years, men and women have given works of art to the Detroit Institute of Arts. Why would people give the […]