April 23, 2020
Paula Gardner
Bridge is pleased to announce expansion of its statewide, nonprofit civic journalism with addition of a new Business Watch section.
The mission of Bridge Business Watch is to provide statewide readers and leaders with incisive coverage of the intersection of business and public policy. We aim to engage readers with and leaders with frequent in-depth reports on many aspects of business and the Michigan economy, from success stories and innovations to guidance and tools for so many workers and employers enduring the COVID-19 crisis.
First glimpses of the coverage Business Watch aims to provide:
- Coronavirus could drain Michigan unemployment fund within months.
- Michigan food supply firm innovates, finds new markets among crisis.
- When Michigan unemployment and stimulus checks will arrive.
We are thrilled to announce the arrival of experienced business journalist Paula Gardner to lead Business Watch, which is made possible through generous sponsorship from the DTE Energy Foundation, Delta Dental of Michigan and reader donations.
Gardner, the 2019 Michigan Press Association Journalist of the Year, comes to Bridge as Business Editor and lead business reporter with more than 30 years of versatile, business-driven professional journalism experience at MLive, Michigan Business Review, the Ann Arbor News, the Ypsilanti Press and the Detroit Free Press.
She welcomes reader feedback, tips and ideas at pgardner@bridgemi.com and at 734-308-6196.
Business Watch follows the successful launch in the past two years of two other Bridge special sections, Environment Watch and Health Watch, also staffed by veteran journalists Robin Erb, Kelly House and Ted Roelofs.
We are grateful to the hundreds of thousands of readers who have grown the Environment Watch and Health Watch sections – and look forward to the same with Business Watch. All Bridge coverage in this moment is COVID-19 coverage. We anticipate returning, when practical, to normalized publication of our special themed sections, including their own email newsletters – and launch of an additional Business Watch email newsletter.
Comments
10 bucks says she's just another communist sympathizer like the rest of you.
Accolades from the usual culprit “news” sources do not necessary translate into factual or unbiased investigative reporting. As the shut-down is extended state-wide past May 1st, with the usual lack of apparent logic, there may be less business news to report on, short of bankruptcies, but welcome aboard and I’ll at least read your articles. Your “sponsor” DTE at least won’t go bankrupt. We automotive types will get to relive 2002 to 2006 yet again.
The first two posts underscore why eliminating comments was a good move for MLive. They serve no purpose.
Comments are good reading and it lets the great unwashed spew about all the injustice in the world and especially Michigan. You would think we are the only state in the country shut down. Comments certainly bring out the best and the worst which isn't all bad because what we're going through sure isn't normal.
What would they do without Bridge because there are only a few places left that allows everyone their right to express themselves.