Programs like Michigan Reconnect, which offers an opportunity to attend community college tuition-free, can strengthen the workforce and assure CEOs that Michigan has a pipeline of qualified employees.
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
Opinion | Campus protests, young people and importance of the First Amendment
Establishing safe spaces for community members to gather and discuss opposing perspectives is vital and takes strong proactive commitment.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | State audits and oversight are too important for partisanship
Instead of reducing the budget for the Office of the Auditor General or playing politics with audit requests, Michigan leaders should strengthen the Legislature’s capacity to work with the agency to conduct oversight that puts facts first.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | An opportunity to protect patients in Michigan
A bill in the state Legislature would protect patients who rely on copay assistance by making sure those payments count toward annual cost-sharing requirements. Passage would ensure better-quality care.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan students need help. But not all tutoring is created equal
Test scores are lagging, and money is available to help students. But schools should follow proven programs that actually work.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan helped create the world order. Is it on course to change it?
Swing-state Michigan could determine the winners of the 2024 elections. By doing so, will the state influence world order once again?
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | An awful law led to Flint water disaster. Why it is still in place?
Michigan’s undemocratic emergency manager law set in motion the contamination of a majority-Black city. Ten years and $1 billion later, it’s unconscionable the law is still on the books.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | FAFSA foul-ups? Apply anyway
Students and families applying for financial aid are understandably frustrated by FAFSA glitches, but they should persist.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Farm bill imagines a sustainable, equitable, healthy food system
The federal farm bill has been the subject of contentious renegotiations. At stake are two important provisions that support a healthy climate and community.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan, once a leader, must do more to stop impaired driving
My parents were killed by a stoned driver. Michigan passed a law to crack down and test drivers, but let it expire. It’s time to bring it back.