BridgeDetroit Guest Commentary Policy

BridgeDetroit provides a safe place for discussions of city issues and policies and provides insights and diverse perspectives on important issues facing Detroiters.

We invite you to participate in informative, engaging and thought-provoking civil discourse through guest commentary. We’re especially interested in pieces that consider solutions — how we as Detroiters fix an issue or take better care of our people and city.

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, BridgeDetroit is a nonpartisan news organization that is focused on serving the residents of our city. We don’t endorse candidates, ballot measures or legislative bills, and we do not publish your endorsements either.

We will not publish pieces that are campaigning, reusing previously published items or making personal attacks.

Guest commentaries reflect the views of the author(s) and are independent of the nonpartisan, fact-driven reporting of BridgeDetroit’s newsroom staff. If we are running a commentary, it means we have determined the piece brings value to the residents of Detroit and their understanding of how their city works.

Here are our guidelines for submitting a guest commentary. We will edit for clarity and style, and we make no promise to publish every submission. We do not pay for guest commentary.

Guidelines

  • Columns should be 500-700 words
  • They are issue-based and generally focus on a Detroit topic or policy that would be of interest to residents 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.
  • Keep the writing clear, conversational and free of jargon.
  • 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.

Who to Contact

Email your submission or idea to lrazzaq@bridgedetroit.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.