Welcome to The Golden Mean!
The title of my page is more than a curious phrase that includes my last name. The Golden Mean is an age-old principle which holds that virtue lies between the extremes. If one can travel the middle path of moderation and temperance, goodness and beauty show up along the way.
That said, don’t think for a second that I equivocate even a little bit on the issues of the day and complexities of life. On the contrary, my reflex is to take dead aim and state my case with clarity and candor. At the same time, the goal is to back up every single perspective with facts, sourcing and context — and to write from a place of respect.
Applying The Golden Mean to life itself can be hard, and I am the furthest thing from an expert on the practice. In other words, it is aspirational. But I find that listening, learning and writing helps a ton. And so does feedback — so thanks for taking a look!
About the Author
Michael Golden is a national award-winning investigative journalist, bestselling author, and serial social entrepreneur. After 30 years, he is as passionate as ever about the quest to discover hidden truths and breakthrough ideas.
Michael believes journalism is at its best when delivering revelations and information that have the power to ignite transformational change. That principle has inspired each of the books he has written: Write Or Die, Unlock Congress, and Ethical Tribing.
Working as a broadcast journalist early in his career at NBC and CBS-TV affiliates, Michael’s reporting on criminal justice and public health earned him honors from the Edward R. Murrow Awards, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press, and the Nat’l Academy of Television Journalists.
An opinion journalist for more than a decade now, his social and political commentary have been featured in The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, NPR, PBS, FOX News, WGN and others.
Throughout his career, Michael has used what he’s learned to create organizations geared toward educational achievement and solutions-oriented journalism. In 2006, he cofounded One Million Degrees, a nonprofit scholarship and support program that has empowered thousands of under-resourced community college students to graduate and launch careers.
Michael has served as a Senior Fellow for Democracy Reform at the Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy and the Center for American Progress. The Governor of Illinois appointed him to serve on the state's Commission to Eliminate Poverty.
He still feels like he’s just getting started.
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