Michigan politics has lost another voice.
Susan Demas of MLive (an aggressive online competitor for all Michigan newspapers) will no longer write a column for the website. She will continue as a MIRS reporter at the state Capitol, but apparently her boss has told her to keep her opinions to herself.
As someone who writes an opinion column and news stories, I can say from (lots of) experience that a journalist can handle both duties admirably. For some reason, too many editors find the duality of a columnist/reporter a natural fit in the Sport Department, but not in the world of news. Columnist/reporter was a position that served as the heart of newspaper journalism decades ago. Now, in Michigan, there’s only a few of us left.
At a time when Lansing is thoroughly dominated by pro-business Republican politics and policies, Demas was often the voice for the worker who struggles from one paycheck to the next, or works two jobs to earn the equivalent of one decent paycheck. She served as a thorn in the side of GOP lawmakers, and she frequently jabbed centrist Democrats too.
A contributor to several media outlets, Demas may have come across as too liberal for many readers, but she is honest and witty and snarky. Great combination for a columnist.
But I guess combinations are not allowed in this new journalism age.
After six years, her final column was posted on March 28. You can read it here.
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