By Steven Gursten/Motor Vehicle Trial Lawyers If the goal of reforming Michigan’s “No Fault” system is to lower auto insurance prices for Michigan drivers, then we need to focus on “reform” proposals that will truly help Michigan drivers save money on car insurance. The insurance industry has wanted to push ideas that would slash drivers’ […]
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: Michigan will spend for better state
By John Austin/Michigan Economic Center Over a year ago a set of citizens, leaders and organizations came together in the Michigan Economic Center to tap Michigan citizen’s ideas about how to move our economy forward. Our motivation was a belief that foundational economic assets of our state, which also are parts of our unique identity, […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Three-point investment plan will get Michigan moving
By Doug Rothwell/Business Leaders for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed budget for 2014 offers new promise for Michigan. Now that our fiscal house is in order, thanks to an eradication of old accounting gimmicks and heavy debt obligations, our state is positioned to make good choices about its future investments. The options we pursue today […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Arts and culture mean jobs for Michigan
By Jennifer Goulet/ArtServe Michigan ArtServe’s 2012 Creative State MI report undeniably revealed proven impacts of the nonprofit arts and cultural sector on Michigan’s economic vitality. This year’s data further defines the arts, culture and creative industries as a sector playing strategic roles in Michigan’s reinvention and one poised for more action. As Michigan’s economy struggled […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Michigan cities firing flares over funding
By Tom Ivacko/Center for Local, State and Urban Policy Michigan local government leaders are waiving a red flag, warning that the state’s system of funding local government is broken and that we can expect fewer public services in the future if the system is not fixed. In recent days, both Flint’s emergency manager, Edward Kurtz, […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Make every vote count
By Dan Brown The result of gerrymandering is the antithesis of representative government. As Phil Power recently noted, when the 2012 election gives one party 54 percent of the seats in the Michigan House of Representatives while receiving only 45 percent of the vote, the concept of representative government is negated. But, is it only […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Audit should prompt scrutiny of MEDC’s fundamental purpose
By Gary Wolfram/Hillsdale College A recent Auditor General’s report found that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation has failed to establish a comprehensive method to properly evaluate the effectiveness of one of its major programs: Renaissance Zones. From the inception of the Renaissance Zone program in fiscal year 1995-96 through fiscal year 2009-10, the MEDC abated […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: New thinking needed on schools
By Peter B. Ruddell/Wiener Associates The recent series of articles and the report “The Public’s Agenda for Public Education” confirm the policy direction being advanced by the Michigan Public Education Finance Project (“the Project”). Contrary to simplistic analysis portrayed in the article “Online ed expansion, school choice plan murky in 2013”, the Project has far […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Another perspective on ranking ‘valuable’ schools
By Jeff Padden/Public Policy Associates Bridge Magazine published an analysis of the Value-Added Matrix scores for 560 school districts in Michigan, including 52 charter schools and 508 traditional public schools. The VAM scores attempt to correct for differences among the student bodies in schools by looking at the socioeconomic condition of the district, a factor […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Snyder is right to invest in expanded early childhood programs
By Doug Luciani and Debbie Dingell/Children’s Leadership Council of Michigan As a former venture capitalist, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder knows much about how to calculate return on investment. Today, we applaud him for seeing the ROI in young children. In his State of the State Address, Snyder acknowledged Michigan has 29,000 4-year-olds eligible for public […]
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