By Scott Baker In late spring, Bridge Magazine looked at data on college readiness in Michigan. It prompted a question: Did the data analyzed by Bridge Magazine take into account poverty levels and their negative impact on student achievement? There are reams of research (i.e. Berliner 2009, Turkheimer 2003) demonstrating this. How will (another) new […]
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: IRS lets 'social welfare' nonprofits pour big bucks into politics
By Rich Robinson/Michigan Campaign Finance Network ProPublica (“How nonprofits spend millions on elections and call it public welfare“) recently detailed how the federal tax code is exploited to conceal the identities of the biggest spenders in Campaign 2012. Today’s political social welfare organizations exist mostly to drive election outcomes. That is an uneasy fit with […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: A guide to the Michigan world of rail
By Aarne Frobom/MDOT Two generations of Michigan travelers have grown up without riding — and maybe without even seeing – a rail transit vehicle. Passenger trains and trolley cars passed out of use in most places 40 to 60 years ago. Now these vehicles are being talked about again, but with names like high-speed rail […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Five ways to be a Great Lakes ‘steward’
By Patty Birkholz/Office of the Great Lakes In today’s technological age, there is a documented societal disconnect from nature known as the “nature deficit.” As a result, this disconnect has the potential for unfortunate and adverse effects on the Great Lakes, both from an environmental and societal standpoint. In order to counteract these adverse effects, […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Politicians get big favor with IRS-backed spending accounts
By Steve Harry What are 527 accounts and why should the voters of Michigan care? I’ve been all worked up about Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero’s 527 account since September 2009, when I read an article in the Lansing State Journal by Derek Melot. I looked up the contribution and expenditure detail on the IRS website, […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Leave consolidation decisions to locals
By Larry Merrill/Michigan Townships Association The August primary ballot question in Onekama Village and Onekama Township to dissolve the village drew statewide attention from media and policy pundits who portrayed the election as a harbinger of voter willingness to consolidate Michigan local governments. In the aftermath of its defeat, proponents contend that failure resulted from […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Going green, getting green with new mileage standards
By Mark Schauer/ BlueGreen Alliance The first Model T rolled off the assembly line to great excitement about the future of an emerging industry — and the potential for this new product to take Americans places they’d never been before. More than 100 years later, the auto industry is a keystone of the American economy. […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Consolidating government easier said than done
By Tom Ivacko/Center for Local, State and Urban Policy With the citizens of the village of Onekama and Onekama Township voting today on whether to merge – and with local governments across Michigan looking for ways to save dollars while continuing services – Michiganians might be wondering: Will consolidation be coming to my community anytime soon? Not […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Legal barriers create Michigan’s doctor shortage
By Mark D. DuBay In “Michigan gets med-school boom, doctor bust,” the author correctly points out that a doctor may not be fully licensed in this state unless a period of post graduate education, also known as a “residency,” is first completed. Under section 333.17031 of the Public Health Code, a doctor is to “complete […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Rules on wine shipments confuse vintners, hurt consumers
By John Wilson/Winestyr.com One element of Michigan’s regulatory framework surrounding alcohol that gets a lot of attention is the recent movement to allow direct-to-consumer (DTC) wine shipments. Such sales take place when a winery sells and ships their wine directly to a Michigan consumer, without going through traditional distribution channels. Until the last decade or […]