Greenbelt cooperator., 1940-01-18

uS IOur EaPet, Dut
If walked up to the city desk of any Washington
newspaper and showed page of my wi ting into the
hands Of the city editor with the order that it
be published verbatim, the story probably end
up in the waste basket. repeated this procedure
several times would expect to be thrown the
office sooner or later. And if I resented this
treatment of my contributions could stop my sub
scription to the paper-and that would be that.
Few people tell Bdi tor Noyes how to run the Star.
Few even get into his office. And his paper, Like
all other newspaper, prints what he thinks should go
into It, written in the form he and his staff ar-
prove.
areenbelt is a small town, and the cooperator Is
a small weekly paper with circulation of only
llOO The staff consists of IS of nei ghbors Who
devote from to 20 hours a week, Mthout monetary
compensation, to give you the town Only three
of them have had previous newspaper experience,
but they learning the job so that your paper
may improve little each month.
This is different kind of a newspaper. We want
you to bring in news, ting notices, and express
81 ons of opinion, because that is the only way in
Wl1ch can build newspaper Wi ich Will truly rep
resent the entire community. volunteer STAFF
cannot cover the town completely for all with
out your help.
We have taken particular pains in recent months
to give adequate space to all organizations and
groups in Greenbelt, though the leaders and
aims of some are abhorrent to the editors. The
operator has blacklist.
We are In earnest about keeping this as your pa
per, but our endeavors have been suspected by few
readers. After spending patient hours of explana-
tton to several Individuals refused to bel ieve
that intenticns honorable we decided upon
tiles of our readers.
I. LETTERS 70 THE EDITu-Your letter will be
puSlished, no matter what your views, age, color,
religion, unless it is actually 1ibelous. But (a)
the right to return it you for revision
if it is more than $50 words (don't be pig, leave
some room for else)j b) request that you
do not send in many letters too often about the
same thing; (c) due to shortage of space in any
issue may have to hold your letter over for
week or two; (d) don't cone down here with fire in
your because did not correct your sspe1led
words-tf we doctored up the letters to make them
look better of you would be after our scalps
for changing the letters.
II. CALENDAR OF EEHTS-we are not mind readers.
II your club meeting is listed at the wrong time
the wrong place tell about it can make
correction in fol owing 1istings.
III. NEwS-An must be turned in by Pm.
Saturday for publication. Use the locked box behind
the door in the Variety Store drop your material
through the door slot of the Cooperator office Room
2o2 over the Variety Store. Now this is Important
the ed1 tors reserve the right to discard,
change, revise, correct, enlarge, shorten other
wise alter any contributions which are submitted for
public alton Except letters to the editor poens.
This may sound dictatorial to those who have
casion treated the Cooperator publ city
organ for their pet activities. This paper is
an independent organization, controlled by the en-
tire population through the Journal site Club. Our
purpose is to serve all of you but not to devote
ourselves completely to the needs any one of you.
We DON'T dictate how you shall your club; DON'T
tell US how to write story, Will ask
you Why you are not on the staff. We glad to
have suggestions and criticisms any time but just
leave out the high and nd ghty stuff.
Your news items will be sati sfac torily han
died If you Will type double space side of
the page, giving all the important factor s-Sho,
what, when, where, why how. Be sure to give COM
plete names, for tn ere several this and Browns
in town.
". EIToRRs-These are not signed because
the Hatch Act that civil service EMPLOYEES
must not write for publtcati any political sub
ject. (Find non-poli tical ubject) The edi-
tor writes most of these opinions Mn ich appear
the cooperat, but others written by staff mem