Green Left Weekly has passed a further milestone in its publishing as an independent progressive newspaper. Recently, the millionth copy rolled off the presses.
Sometime late in 1994, Green Left entered a very exclusive club of progressive journals — the small group that has published more than one million copies and continues to publish.
When exactly did this event occur? Was anyone present as number one million rolled off the press after number 999,999? We cannot say.
What we can say, is that copy one million is simply the latest in a long line of milestones that Green Left has reached. Issue #50, #100, #150 were all special occasions in the life of the paper. Issue #200 will be celebrated later this year. And then it's on to 500, 1000 and beyond.
In many ways, it's a good thing that no-one remembered to mark copy 1 million before now. Missing this small milestone, says something about our expectations. It says that we (readers, writers, producers, sellers) have come to expect Green Left Weekly to come out each week without a hitch. None of us could imagine a week where Green Left did not arrive with the alternative viewpoint — let alone a month or a year.
Green Left is now an institution to thousands who read it every week. The truth is that we cannot take it for granted, however. We survive only because of the help of our supporters.
If you welcome the millionth Green Left with a feeling of satisfaction, then you too have a part to play. Buy a subscription for a friend. Send a donation or write an article. Every bit helps. Next stop 2 million! Green Left Weekly — it's your newspaper. n