Bridge wins 15 Michigan Press Association awards, including public service honor
- Bridge Michigan won 15 journalism awards, including eight first-place honors from the Michigan Press Association
- Paula Gardner won the Public Service Award, while Ron French won statewide best writing honors
- BridgeDetroit also won a Public Service Award and six other awards for local journalism
Bridge Michigan won 15 awards in the 2024 Michigan Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest, including eight first-place awards in the statewide news media division.
Business reporter Paula Gardner won the statewide Public Service Award for her extensive reporting on “The unfulfilled promises of Michigan business incentives.”
The award recognizes a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or newspaper individual that has made a significant contribution to the betterment of their community, according to the organization.
Enterprise reporter Ron French also won a statewide award for best writing for his story “Michigan tribes race to save their language from extinction.”
BridgeDetroit, a sister publication also published by The Center for Michigan, won another seven awards in the local news media division. See the winners below:
First Place
- The Unfulfilled Promises of Michigan Business Incentives - Statewide Public Service Award, Paula Gardner of Bridge Michigan
- Michigan tribes race to save their language from extinction - Statewide Best Writing, Ron French of Bridge Michigan
- Coverage of Detroit concrete crushing operations - Local Public Service, Jena Brooker of BridgeDetroit
- MSU Shooting - Deep Reporting on Deadline, Mike Wilkinson and Isabel Lohman of Bridge Michigan
- Michigan's Industrial Legacy - News Enterprise Reporting, Kelly House and Paula Gardner of Bridge Michigan
- Michigan's Health Care Worker Shortage - Business/Agriculture News, Robin Erb, Ron French and Isabel Lohman of Bridge Michigan
- Michigan town adjusts to life with ‘ghost newsroom,’ as local papers wither- Feature Story, Ron French of Bridge Michigan
- Opinion | An awful law led to Flint water disaster. Why it is still in place? - Best Opinion, Curt Guyette for Bridge Michigan
- Michigan's Industrial Legacy - Social Media Design, Asha Lewis of Bridge Michigan
- Can Detroiters afford more dollar stores? - Business/Agriculture News, Jena Brooker of BridgeDetroit
- False arrest of Detroit mother reignites criticism of facial recognition tech - Government/Education News, Malachi Barrett of BridgeDetroit
Second Place
- Michigan tribes race to save their language from extinction - Feature Story, Ron French of Bridge Michigan
- Wolverine Worldwide faces tough times selling shoes. Then came more PFAS - Business/Agriculture News, Paula Gardner of Bridge Michigan
- Opinion: Train station rebirth proof ‘Detroit never left,” - Best Opinion, A.J. Johnson for BridgeDetroit
- The Electric Vehicle Road Trip - Most Innovative Story Telling, Kelly House, Paula Gardner, and Asha Lewis of Bridge Michigan
- From shelter to home — how one woman climbed out of homelessness - Feature Story, Nushrat Rahman of BridgeDetroit
Third Place
- MSU professor saw students die. A year later, he fights for ‘a good life’ - Feature Story, Kelly House of Bridge Michigan
- Electric Vehicle Road Trip - Social Media Design, Asha Lewis of Bridge Michigan
- Reproductive Rights Protest at the Capitol - News Photo, Dale Young for Bridge Michigan
- Michigan approves new deer hunting regulations to address overpopulation - Sports Writing, Janelle James of Bridge Michigan
- BridgeDetroit 2024 Voter Guide: Everything you need to know about participating in elections - Public Service Award, BridgeDetroit staff
- Guardians of graffiti: Inside an effort to protect Detroit’s vanishing art - Feature Story, Quinn Banks and Malachi Barrett of BridgeDetroit
See what new members are saying about why they donated to Bridge Michigan:
- “In order for this information to be accurate and unbiased it must be underwritten by its readers, not by special interests.” - Larry S.
- “Not many other media sources report on the topics Bridge does.” - Susan B.
- “Your journalism is outstanding and rare these days.” - Mark S.
If you want to ensure the future of nonpartisan, nonprofit Michigan journalism, please become a member today. You, too, will be asked why you donated and maybe we'll feature your quote next time!