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Donate TodayGuest 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 Magazine 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 | Michigan: Driving alone is killing the environment, and your wallet
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Arial; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} "I hope my act of carpooling with my friends can spread throughout Michigan, to help Americans and their coworkers save money while reducing emissions," a teenage motorist writes.
Opinion | Amend third-grade reading law, U.P. school superintendents urge
"Flunking a student is immediately traumatic and is more likely to be experienced by those students who are categorized as poor, male and/or minority," the group of Upper Peninsula school superintendents writes.
Kurt Metzger | The Census is coming. Racial controversy is never far behind
The U.S. Census Bureau’s decision not to allow a category for Middle Eastern North African in this year’s count is the latest in a long history of controversies involving race.
Kettering University president: College is ‘increasingly not relevant’
Robert McMahan says universities must change, or companies are going to stop buying what they’re selling. Kettering graduates produce the highest return on financial investment of any Michigan university.
Opinion | Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s rebellion hurts our kids
"We should be focused on how we ensure our education system does not fail our children, rather than throwing in the towel and inciting rebellion," writes Michigan's Senate majority leader.
Opinion | Michigan, let’s make a road finance movie
There is a legitimate role for bond financing in road construction and maintenance, but that is to accelerate construction, not as a source of funding. Without a new revenue stream to finance the debt, the state would only be borrowing against future revenue, the guest author writes.
Opinion | How Michigan can tackle influx in absentee ballots
This official's solution to pressures at the ballot box: Allow local clerks to count absentee ballots earlier, without tabulating the results.
Bridge is drawing a clearer line between news and opinion
We’ve further separated Guest Commentary from our news coverage — to reduce reader confusion.
Opinion | Michigan needs fair approach to taxes on electric vehicles
The disproportionately high fees accomplish very little to improve our state’s roads and bridges. However, the fees do make cleaner cars less appealing and accessible for cost-conscious consumers, says this writer.
Opinion | We need to end the culture of condoning sexual harassment
Workplace training and education on sexual harassment, developing safe and reasonable avenues for those victimized to report the harassment, along with holding perpetrators responsible are the best first steps, this guest author writes.
Opinion | Michigan’s school finance system limits vulnerable students' prospects
Michigan can learn much from other states, where student achievement is better overall and a Zip code doesn’t limit opportunity – thanks in part to education funding focused on opportunity for all.
Opinion | How Michigan’s early middle colleges transform students’ lives
More than 13,000 Michigan students attend early middle colleges, which allow students to earn college credit as early as ninth grade.
Opinion | After green ooze, it’s time to get serious about 'polluter pay'
'We can’t keep putting our heads in the sand and leaving these problems to bubble up later,' writes Irwin, co-author of a bill that would require polluters to clean up their contamination to a higher standard.
Opinion | Local news in Detroit: race, distrust and disconnection
The lack of rigorous local reporting has consequences for accountability – without that knowledge, holding developers, officeholders, and corporations to account becomes virtually impossible, the author writes in this Guest Commentary.
Opinion | Michigan earned an 'F' in government integrity. Help us do better
“Like our fight to end gerrymandering, a successful accountability campaign will require a robust, citizen-led effort,” writes the executive director of Voters Not Politicians.
Opinion | It’s time for Michigan to join Maine with ranked-choice voting
State Rep. Jon Hoadley has introduced a bill that will allow local communities to use ranked-choice voting, which he says ensures that every voice is heard and every vote counts.
Opinion | PFAS has poisoned my town. Government needs to step up and help
“I find it ironic that in a place with so much water, we don’t have a basic human right to be able to drink it.” writes a college student from Oscoda.
Opinion | Divided Congress finds much common ground, traction on conservation
There’s a lesson in this: Conservation is an inherently unifying force. Voters feel it, Congress knows it and its record proves it.
Opinion | Thank Michigan educators for their selflessness, spirit of giving
Our state's teachers, support staff and other public school employees are committed to helping students. This work doesn't end when the school bell rings.
Opinion | Please hold applause until state budget supports most vulnerable
After months of square dancing, our state budget fails to highlight the necessary commitment needed to support struggling learners, our most challenged youth, and families impacted by the child welfare system, says the writer of this Guest Commentary.