By Amber Arellano/Education Trust-Midwest The Oakland Academy in Portage has fulfilled much of the bold promise of the Michigan charter school movement. The elementary school, run by the nonprofit Foundation for Behavioral Resources, routinely exceeds state averages in math and reading. But in the northeast corner of Michigan, a more troubling portrait of charter quality […]
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
Guest column: Electric deregulation cap protects customers
The out-of-state power marketers are at it again. They’re pushing to expand electric deregulation in Michigan under the guise of “competition.” As usual, they’re promising a brighter, better future for the state’s families and businesses, if they can just get their way. An old saying applies here: “If it looks too good to be true, it […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Limited choice isn’t helping electric rates
By James P. Hallan/Michigan Retailers Association Since 2008, Michigan electricity customers have been denied the opportunity to shop for electricity in the competitive market because of legislation that capped competition at just 1 percent of total electric use. As a result, we are currently suffering from the highest electricity rates in the Midwest and rates […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: It’s time to stop distorting truth about Common Core
By David Musselwhite/Michigan PTA The Common Core, a comprehensive set of internationally-benchmarked and comprehensive K-12 standards in mathematics and English Language Arts, has fallen prey to exaggerated and dishonest criticism from educators and Washington think tanks. It isn’t difficult to find naysayers who lump the Common Core into arguments against what they call “corporate education reform.” […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Citizen input sought on Michigan’s to-do list
By John Austin/Michigan Economic Center All of us who live in — and love – Michigan have some deep-rooted sense of what makes the state special. Our great outdoors and spectacular lakes. Our cars, the open road, hauling the camper or snowmobile Up North. Great colleges and universities that bring us together on football Saturdays […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Let's open the door for student success
By Andy Buchsbaum/National Wildlife Federation In Michigan, several disturbing trends have become the core of the public education conversation. We hear about failing schools, underperforming students and teachers, budgets and staff stretched to capacity (and sometimes beyond), and disconcerting dropout rates. But there’s something else that hasn’t registered yet – and it should. We are […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Consensus emerges on local services, but what becomes of transparency?
By Tom Ivacko/Center for Local, State and Urban Policy A path forward, on common ground? Yes, but watch for caution signs along the way. First, the common ground: Michigan citizens — Republicans and Democrats — and their state and local government leaders broadly agree that consolidating individual public services across neighboring jurisdictions is worth pursuing, […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Pure Michigan’s natural assets are under assault
By Chris Bunch/ Six Rivers Regional Land Conservancy The Michigan Legislature is taking aim at land conservancies, the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, the Department of Natural Resources and land conservation in general. The land conservancies in Southeast Michigan, along with the rest of the natural resource conservation community here, are surprised, frustrated and dismayed. […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Michigan, you don’t know everything about manufacturing
By Jim Danielski/Career Planning Specialists What … somebody recognized that manufacturing in the U.S. isn’t dead? That maybe, just maybe, the much touted service sector may actually be a byproduct of manufacturing? Many of us, including me, believe that manufacturing will make a comeback – only it won’t be in the form of the “factory” […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: A small town keeps growing its own
By Maurita Holland When Roger Chard steps onto the stage to sing and I take the piano bench in southeastern Michigan, the audience generally numbers in the hundreds. This month, we will perform in my hometown, Manistique, for about 30 people. The attendees, enticed by the promise of Swedish desserts and coffee, along with an […]