Michigan Messenger is an independently-produced political news daily featuring original and investigative reporting, which is part of the Center for Independent Media (CIM).

As a coalition of long-time progressive bloggers, freelance writers and professional journalists, our aim is to enhance and expand the political dialog in Michigan. By combining the immediacy of blogging with time-honored journalistic inquiry, Michigan Messenger intends to provide a platform for overlooked stories, policy and campaign analysis, and unique local perspectives on the important issues of the day.

Our contributing writers subscribe to a Code of Ethics and the pursuit of truth-telling, fairness, and accountability.

Interested candidates can learn more about the New Journalist Program and obtain an application to become a Fellow at http://www.newjourna… Michigan Fellows

LoRayne Apo-Joynt is a progressive activist and citizen journalist. She has blogged since 2002 pseudonymously for her own site, as well as for state and national blogs. She has also contributed investigative research to a national citizen journalism site, ePluribus Media. Having worked for more than 13 years at Fortune 100 companies, she now runs a small consulting firm specializing in competitive intelligence and business services in mid-Michigan.

Ed Brayton is a freelance writer and the voice behind the popular blog Dispatches from the Culture Wars. He is co-founder of Michigan Citizens for Science and has written for such publications as the Bard, Skeptic and Reports of the National Center for Science Education. He has appeared as a guest on several nationally syndicated radio talk shows, has addressed many state and national organizations and conferences and has appeared on C-SPAN.

Minehaha Forman was born in the rain forest of Belize and moved to the United States at the age of 15 in pursuit of higher education. Now, she is a freelancer in the Detroit area and a recent graduate of Oakland University. Her work has appeared in Hour Detroit magazine as well as Dbusiness magazine. In 2005, she created the blog ONE , which highlights her creative writing.

Todd Heywood comes to the CIM with a plethora of experiences in the public forum. Todd has worked in journalism, advocacy politics, public relations, politics and even served a stint as an elected official. He currently is the Capitol correspondent for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender publication Between the Lines. He holds an associate’s general degree from Lansing Community College with focuses in history, substance-abuse prevention and intervention, and theater performance. In addition to his work in journalism, Heywood, as he prefers to be called, continues to nurture his love of theater by running a small community theater, Sunsets with Shakespeare. Plays he authored have been produced in the University of Michigan Basement Arts program, the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, local coffeehouses and in St. Louis, Mo. His work in theater won him a Pulsar Award as best community director in 2005, a Player’s Award for his portrayal of Otto Frank in “The Diary of Anne Frank” for Lansing Civic Players and a Barney Award from Riverwalk Theatre for best supporting actor in 1997. He lives in Lansing with his beloved dogs Virgil and Gypsy Rose.

Eartha Jane Melzer is a 1997 graduate of Antioch College with a degree in cross-cultural communications. Her documentary work has appeared in outlets as diverse as Fox News and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights. She has worked as a freelance reporter and staff writer for the Washington Blade. She recently returned to her hometown — lovely Traverse City, Mich. — with hopes of covering environmental and social issues in the Great Lakes state.

Todd Spencer has reported for NPR programs “On The Media,” “Living on Earth,” “Marketplace” and “The California Report” and written for Salon.com and Rollingstone.com, as well as The Detroit News, Traverse Magazine and the Ann Arbor Observer. After spending eight years editing magazines and websites in San Francisco he returned to his native Michigan and is happy to be back in the land of oaks and maples. Todd spent ten years in the Ann Arbor area co-editing Current magazine, reporting for WAAM Radio and representing Ann Arbor at the 1995 National Poetry Slam.

Alexa Stanard is a Ferndale-based freelance writer. She writes regularly for Hour Detroit, The Detroit News, Vital and other publications. Her previous professional experience includes working as a writer in the Michigan House of Representatives and as a journalist for The Associated Press in Buenos Aires. She also spent several years working in women’s health clinics, and now writes frequently on health issues. She teaches English and provides Spanish translation support at Freedom House, a Detroit nonprofit that provides comprehensive services to political refugees, and she is a member of the newly created Oakland County Women’s Commission. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history and women’s studies from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.