When I saw that the iPad had released a new daily news service called The Daily (yawnsville!) it reminded me that my local hometown newspaper used to be known as The Gusher. Strange really, as it was actually called The Daventry Weekly Express and one thing it didn’t do was gush with news. Not much happened in Daventry so it was usually just news of the latest weirdo pinching underwear from the washing line (happened to my mum) or the Scouts’ next table top sale. Anyway, being the trivia hound that I am, it got me wondering what other strange names for newspapers could I find. Here are some of the results.
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Tombstone Epitaph
This is my favourite. Some wise guy obviously thought this one up.
Some wise guy obviously thought this one up. Tombstone Epitaph—it’s morbidly imaginative and incredibly fitting for a newspaper name. Originally founded in the Wild West town of Tombstone, Arizona, the name brings a certain flair and historical charm. You almost expect to read stories about old-timey shootouts or gold rush escapades. Oddly, it makes you want to pick up a copy just to see if the content lives up to the name’s dark allure. There's something oddly captivating about a newspaper that doesn’t shy away from its own mortality.
Unterrified Democrat
This is the newspaper of Linn, Missouri. Are terrified democrats allowed to read it and what do Linn’s Republicans, terrified or otherwise, read?
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The Arran Banner
Well, what do you know? This newspaper is named after a potato. It’s the weekly journal for the Isle of Arran, Scotland and is named after one of the potato varieties developed by local man Donald McKelvie in 1927.
The Barrier Daily Truth
Should newspapers tell anything but the truth? There certainly shouldn’t be any barriers to the truth either. I wonder just how much is absolutely true in the newspaper of Broken Hill, Australia.
The Toledo Blade
I just love plays on words. I hope this Ohio newspaper is cutting edge and that its columns are full of rapier wit. Today’s for sale items includes fencing and this week’s recipe is swordfish.
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The Banbury Cake
Banbury is a town in Oxfordshire, England famous for its cross which is immortalised in a children’s nursery rhyme. No one quite knows why the newspaper is named after the local pastry which is similar to the more famous Eccles Cake – a spices currant-filled, flat pastry cake.
The Pantograph
This is the newspaper of Bloomington, Illinois. Pan is the Greek word meaning all; so any word beginning with pan or panto is all-encompassing.
The Mainichi Daily
This is an English-Language newspaper in Japan. Given that Mainichi is a Japanese word meaning daily, this publication is the Daily Daily.
The Impartial Reporter
I’d be concerned about any newspaper that had to point out it was unbiased but the citizens of Enniskillen, Northern Ireland don’t seem to mind.
The Bunyip
I just love this word and heaven knows why it’s the name of a newspaper. A Bunyip is an aboriginal mythical beast said to inhabit billabongs, rivers and pools – we can only guess the relevance to a newspaper from Gawler, South Australia?
I could go on – The Casket (employs deadpan reporters), The Falmouth Packet (very cheap), The Royston Crow (news for birds?), The Carlisle Mosquito (no flies on that one), The Sacramento Bee (read by busy people), The Keswick Reminder (nearly forgot that one) and finally, the name that brings tears to your eyes, The Onion.
Does your local paper beat these?
Top Photo Credit: modernglow
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