Membership Benefits
As a member of the Greenbelt News Review, you join a worker cooperative that has been serving the Greenbelt community since 1937. You will contribute to a paper that is dedicated to Greenbelt, to building and serving our community and to informing it. We also seek to demand transparency and accountability in government and, as an independent paper, to continue our legacy of championing the First Amendment.
Members are recognized on the paper’s masthead.
Members are entitled to small membership dividends.
Members who make at least one labor contribution a month may place one 20-word classified ad a week without charge. Those who work less frequently may place one a month.
Members may post a small valentine message in our Valentine issue without charge.
Members are encouraged to participate in membership meetings and are entitled to vote for board members and other organizational changes as outlined in the bylaws.
Members are eligible to run for a position on the board. The board is comprised of seven elected members and two ex officio members (editor, managing editor). Elections take place at the annual meeting. For more on the board of directors, visit the About Us page.
Membership Duties and Terms
To become eligible for membership, each prospective member must complete three labor contributions, at which point they can complete a membership application form.
Active membership involves a labor contribution to the paper at least every three months.
Members are ineligible to write letters to the editor other than non-substantive issues, such as a brief expression of thanks. They may write a letter to the editor in another official capacity, for example, as a representative of a group or organization, but must sign it accordingly.
Members must abide by the paper’s AI policy.
Conflicts of interest in reporting must be communicated to the Managing Editor in advance and should be noted at the end of an article. Conflicts of interest in other areas should be shared with the board.
Any information learned in the newsroom or while acting in your capacity as a member should be treated as confidential. This means news should not be shared outside the newsroom prior to its publication by the paper and correspondence addressed to the News Review or editor should be held in confidence. Any financial information learned about the paper or any advertiser must be treated as confidential.
Members contribute to a cooperative newsroom that is welcoming and enjoyable for all.
