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
- 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 Monica Williams at mwilliams@bridgemi.com. Please briefly describe who you are and what you would like to say.
Articles
Opinion | Thinking of traveling this inauguration week? Postpone your trip.
Guest Commentary: Unruly passengers on flights, blocked lodging reservations and a shortage of hospital beds complicate matters.
First Person | I am a student Black Lives Matter activist. The Capitol insurrection didn’t surprise me.
Put aside your disbelief. Confront racism now, this Detroit high school student writes.
Opinion | As we plan for life post-pandemic, let's pivot to a new normal
It’s not just pre-pandemic lessons from which we need to draw. We also need to learn from lessons from the pandemic, Michigan's superintendent writes.
Opinion | A presidential elector and educator finds hope among his students
The “morning after” the U.S. Capitol riots, a Michigan educator found his 13-year-old students wanting him to address their questions for which, in many cases, there were no answers.
Opinion | Why I'm fighting for policies that will help small businesses recover
I’m joining other Michigan small business owners in pleading for our elected officials to step up with a comprehensive plan for small businesses.
Opinion | Michigan, act like a 2-year-old: Continuously ask, 'Why?'
We cannot maintain government structures we established when Michigan was a different place.
Opinion | It's time to move to personalized learning for all students
The pandemic has illuminated the need for Michigan to change its education system, this former superintendent writes.
Opinion | Detroit TCF Center, Lansing uproars were preview of pro-Trump riot
Nobody in Michigan can say they didn't see this coming. We've been broadcasting the previews in Michigan for months, the Wayne County Executive writes.
Opinion | After 2020, Michigan needs a 'defend democracy' initiative
Michigan needs a sequel for the 2022 ballot to build on Proposal 3’s democratic safeguards.
Opinion | Detroiters help each other — but the need for food is desperate
As coronavirus case counts rise, we know the virus itself is not at all over, nor is the economic crisis that came in its wake. We need real policy solutions that focus on the human toll of the virus.
Opinion | Could tolls be the answer to fix Michigan's roads, bridges?
Lansing's interest in tolling has gone back decades but this year the state Legislature and Gov. Whitmer's administration have taken big steps to make it a reality.
Opinion | As 2020 comes to an end, give yourself grace
This year has been hard, but we have gotten through it together. As we transition into a new year, take solace in knowing we are moving toward the end of this pandemic.
Opinion | What can reconcile our painful political differences? Nature.
In Michigan, the Great Lakes manifest our attachment to nature and overcome our political differences.
Opinion | Trophy hunting threat to Michigan wolves violates Indigenous, public values
Without federal protections, it is all but certain that the Michigan Natural Resources Commission will soon consider a proposal to open a trophy hunting season on wolves.
Opinion | Why Michigan labor unions want the Line 5 tunnel built
Instead of shutting it down in 2021, let’s embrace real solutions that put working people first.
Opinion | Lawmakers must act to protect unemployed Michiganders into 2021
When the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, Michigan will still be grappling with COVID, which is why lawmakers must act to improve the state's unemployment system.
Opinion | Counting children in the pandemic
Local schools and school districts should continue to work with the widest range of community partners—faith-based institutions, social service agencies, law enforcement, and others—to ensure that every child in each community is receiving an education.
Opinion | Michigan’s leaders can act now to mitigate learning losses
To ensure that Michigan’s vulnerable students and families receive the support they need and deserve, we urge Michigan leaders to invest immediately in the most effective, highest leverage research-based strategies to begin to address troubling inequities.
Opinion | Lansing is blocking sustainable growth in Grand Rapids
We need our leadership to plan what comes next from solar.
Opinion | I'm standing up for Cynthia Johnson since House Democrats won't
In this Guest Commentary, a former Lansing staffer says Michigan House Democrats took the “both sides” approach to blatant displays of supremacy in Rep. Cynthia Johnson's case.