Greenbelt News Review
History
The paper, published by the Greenbelt Cooperative Publishing Association, Inc., was established in 1937 as a volunteer cooperative shortly after settlement of Greenbelt and went by the name Greenbelt Cooperator until its name was changed in 1954. It has been published without interruption every week since its founding, and is distributed free by a network of carriers to all city residents.
The documentary Defending Utopia: The Greenbelt News Review at 80, about the paper and Greenbelt itself, is the work of Greenbelt documentarian Susan Gervasi. It was commissioned to celebrate the paper’s 80 years of continuous service to the town.
The title comes from the libel suit against the News Review that ultimately went to the Supreme Court, which decided in favor of the paper and created an important legal precedent for press freedom. The film highlights the case, as well as the paper’s early and consistent support for preserving the green in Greenbelt. (The paper also defended its green belt of forest in the town’s early years, and in 1987 fought to save the 80-acre Parcel 1 of forest, a successful campaign led by Paul Downs, Greenbelt’s 2017 Outstanding Citizen.)
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The News Review is written and put together almost entirely by volunteers. The paper offers many opportunities for writers wanting to use their writing skills in a journalistic context. The News Review also has openings for copy editors, email screeners, proof-readers, and editorial cartoonists. For more information about how to get involved, write the editor at editor@greenbeltnewsreview.com or drop by the newsroom during office hours on Tuesdays between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. or between 7:30 and 9 p.m. We’re located in Suite 100 in the Greenbelt Community Center.