David Zeman

David Zeman was born in Detroit, where, on Twelfth Street, his family owned Zeman’s Bakery. In a more than forty-year career of some of the longest work weeks in journalism, David made the

Zeman name synonymous with highest-quality, public service reporting.

Through his distinctive editing talents, David made every story sing – whether raw copy came from college interns or the most decorated reporters. Through his leadership – first as projects editor at the Detroit Free Press and then in a decade as editor in chief of Bridge Michigan – reporters were, indeed, highly decorated.

Atop-notch reporter in his own right at the Free Press, David built a national reputation for explanatory watchdog reporting. He won state and national awards for reporting on education, politics, the legal system and business – projects that ignited reforms and legislation. As a Free Press editor, he directed projects that won journalism’s highest national honors including the Pulitzer Prize, the George Polk Award, the Worth Bingham Prize and the National Headliner Public Service Award.

David then joined Bridge Michigan in 2013 and led the publication to exponential audience growth, four consecutive Michigan Press Association publication of the year honors, and three consecutive Michigan Journalist of the Year awards.

He was a journalist with a law degree and a strong moral compass. The work David led throughout his career provoked profound and significant impact. He managed the Free Press investigation which resulted in the resignation and criminal conviction of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Under David’s leadership, Bridge Michigan published “Poison on Tap,” the first book in response to the Flint Water Crisis, which included revelations and timelines of investigators deemed indispensable in determining what went wrong. David led Bridge investigation of how partisan interest groups ran a secretive operation to gerrymander political boundaries – informing voters who ultimately passed a statewide proposal to establish Michigan’s first citizen-led, bipartisan redistricting commission. Then Bridge reporting captained by David led to a Michigan Supreme Court precedent forcing the redistricting commission to always meet in public and transparently release all its documents. Other Bridge led by David resulted in rollback of state Medicaid work requirements, reversal of proposed language that would have whitewashed racial justice themes from state social studies learning standards, timely release of data documenting COVID cases in schools, and calls for transparency reforms when Bridge documented hundreds of millions of dollars in pork budget appropriations to politically connected recipients,

He retired from Bridge Michigan in early 2024, after the newsroom grew from three journalists when he started to nearly 20 by the end of his tenure. His impact endures in the respect and gratitude of the many who worked for him.

“David’s secret was being so beloved, his reporters wanted to meet his high standards,” says Bridge Michigan environmental reporter Kelly House. “It is not hyperbole to say David was the best editor I ever had.”