The Documentary News Letter was a magazine

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

 about documentary film

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 founded by film-maker John Grierson

John Grierson

John Grierson was a pioneering Scottish documentary maker, often considered the father of British and Canadian documentary film. According to popular myth, in 1926, Grierson coined the term "documentary" to describe a non-fiction film.-Early life:Grierson was born in Deanston, near Doune, Scotland...

. It featured editorials and film reviews written by members of the Documentary Film Movement

Documentary Film Movement

The Documentary Film Movement is the name given to the group of British film-makers, led by John Grierson, who were influential in British film culture in the 1930s and 1940s.-Principles:...

. Film-maker and historian Basil Wright

Basil Wright

Basil Wright, , was a documentary filmmaker, film historian, film critic and teacher.-Biography:...

 claimed it was influential during the Second World War, having an impact on the Ministry of Information's approach to film propaganda. In its reviews, the Documentary News Letter was particularly critical of films which it considered "inauthentic", notably films directed by Humphrey Jennings

Humphrey Jennings

Frank Humphrey Sinkler Jennings was an English documentary filmmaker and one of the founders of the Mass Observation organization...

.