Sci Fi Newspapers
In film media newspapers are a useful plot device. They are used regularly in sci fi to provide information to the audience or to advance the narrative by giving the characters information. A quick look through the following list shows that a series like Sliders and Quantum Leap relied heavily on the newspaper motif to provide the characters with information about the world/time they had landed in. The Star Trek franchises on the other hand are nearly all absent from the list. Information in that Universe is imparted from above or in social situations. The news from back home is generally given by relatives or Admirals.
It doesn’t seem to occur to anyone in the Sci Fi universe that newspapers are moving online. Spinning headlines, multiple viewpoints shown by successive front pages, useful papers wrapped around your fish and chips or blowing down the street, are all things of the past. If all the power goes out now in an apocalyptic scenario, there won’t be any old papers to read. The news will all be stored in those non-operational computers in dark rooms with no air con.
Still, there will normally be papers online for characters to read, some of the print papers we have now are moving online and there will surely be new ones. What sort of names will we expect them to have?
A short survey of sci fi movies and TV series reveals five categories of newspaper names, with newspapers grouped by their purpose:
Archival, Broadcasting, Investigative, Protective and Reflective.
Most of the names used in these categories will be prefixed by a town or city name, or the word ‘Daily’. There are very few imaginative names.
Archival:
Some newspapers see themselves as the means of recording events to store them for the future. These papers are the daily back up services, presumably looking for news that is worthwhile in both local and broad historical terms. Other papers may also keep back copies and see themselves as responsible for a daily record, but these papers take it very seriously:
Chronicle : Daily Chronicle (Bride of the Monster/ Slider’s : Rules of the Game/ The Invaders: The Experiment/ The Twilight Zone: Time Enough at Last/ The Twilight Zone: And When the Sky Was Opened); Herbertville Chronicle, The (Read All About It : The First Edition); Hunstanton Chronicle (Torchwood: From Out of the Rain); Los Angeles Chronicle (Slider’s : California Reich); New York Chronicle (When Worlds Collide ); San Francisco Chronicle (Slider’s: Post Traumatic Slide Syndrome ); The Chronicle (The Invaders: The Organization /Iron Man);
Copy Hard Copy (Sliders: In Dino Veritas);
Gazette : Baton Rouge Gazette (Quantum Leap: For Your Love); Crown Point Gazette (Quantum Leap: The Leap Back ); Daily Gazette (Outer Limits: I Hear You Calling/ The Quatermass Experiment: Persons Reported Missing); Hackney Gazette (Goodnight Sweetheart: Turned Out Nice Again ); Minot Progress Gazette (The Lone Gunmen: Like Water for Octane ); New Gotham Gazette (Birds of Prey: Primal Scream ); Midland Gazette (Stepford Wives 2 ); New York Gazette (When Worlds Collide ); South Florida Gazette (Farscape: Kansas ); Weehawken Gazette(Lois and Clarke: Neverending Battle );
Journal: Tallahassee Journal (The Invaders: Vikor ); Times Journal (SGA Outcast ); Washington Journal (The Atomic Submarine );
Ledger: Smallville Ledger (Smallville);
Monthly: News Monthly (Slider’s: Obsession/ The Young and the Relentless );
Record: Dallas Record (Iron Man 2 ); The Record (The Day the Earth Stood Still 2 );
Register: San Francisco Register (Slider’s :The Prince of Wails );
Report: Hawks Report, The (Slider’s: A Current Affair);
Text: Times Text (seaQuest DSV: alone );
Tribute: Roswell Tribute (A Roswell Christmas Carol );
Weekly: Artists’ Weekly (Dark Angel: Medium is the Message); Lakeview Weekly (Quantum Leap: A Portrait for Troian); Racegoers Weekly (The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells );
Broadcasting
There is a range of names used for real papers and sci fi ones that indicate the news should be broadcast around like a paper boy at his stand yelling it out. These names rely on metaphors of sound , bright light or running. There are no secrets with these papers around because even a whisper travels quickly:
Bee: Modesto Bee (Jericho: Condor);
Bugle: Daily Bugle (SMAC/ Spiderman 1,2,3); Elgin Bugle (The Twilight Zone : The Fever); Dallas Bugle, The (Lexx: P4X );
Clarion: Charlemont Clarion (Quantum Leap: Star Light, Star Bright);
Courier: San Francisco Courier (The Invaders: Wall of Crystal ); Seattle Courier, the (Kyle XY: Kyle Got Game /4400 Becoming ); Wheeling Courier (The Invaders: Panic);
Dispatch: Braxton Dispatch (Threshold: Vigilante ); Daily Dispatch and Business (Slider’s : Please Press One); DC Dispatch (Outer Limits: Birthright ); New York Dispatch (When Worlds Collide ); Peoria Dispatch (Quantum Leap: Good Morning, Peoria ); The Star Dispatch (The Invaders: Counter-attack );
Echo: Blackbury Echo (Johnny and the Bomb: Mrs. Tachyon and the Bags of Time ); Liverpool Echo (Goodnight Sweetheart: The Leaving of Liverpool);
Express: Daily Express (Goodnight Sweetheart: Turned Out Nice Again);
Herald: City Herald (Underdog); Daily Herald (Slider’s : The Return of Maggie Beckett ); Los Angeles Herald (Slider’s: A Current Affair ); Miami Herald (Lexx: Stan Down ); Richmond Herald (The Lone Gunmen: Three Men and a Smoking Diaper ); Roswell Daily Herald (Roswell: Pilot ); San Francisco Herald (Star Trek The Next Generation: The Big Goodbye ); The National Herald (Doctor Who : The Unicorn and the Wasp ); Washington Herald (X-files: Piper Maru);
Mail: Daily Mail (Bride of the Monster); Western Mail (Doctor Who: Boom Town );
Post: Bristol Post (Torchwood: Captain Jack Harkness); Capitol City Post (Underdog); Daily Dallas Post (The Astronaut Farmer ); Palisadian Post (Betaville ); Smallville Post (Lois and Clarke: The Man of Steel Bars); Washington Post (Return from Witch Mountain);
Star: Daily Star (Slider’s: Fever/ Quantum Leap: Blind Faith); Metropolis Star (Lois and Clarke: Neverending Battle/ The Rival ); New York Daily Star (Lois and Clarke: Pilot); Sandy Point Star (The Invaders: The Condemned ); Halfway Across the Galaxy Turn Left) Zyrgon Morning Star.
Sun: Los Angeles Sun (My Favourite Martian: Pilot);
Telegram: Fort-Worth Star Telegram (Roswell: The Summer of ’47 );
Telegraph: Metro City Telegraph (Megamind ); Daily Telegraph (Doctor Who: Love and Monsters/ Goodnight Sweetheart: Wish Me Luck);
Torch: Smallville High Torch (Smallville);
Voice: London Voice (Lois and Clarke: Pilot);
Whisper: Daily Whisper (Lois and Clarke: I’m Looking Through You ); National Whisper (Lois and Clarke: Pilot );
Investigative
Some newspapers see their role as locating hidden information to give to the reader as a scoop. There is a danger this function can fall into the scurrilous category, particularly if there is a need to invent secrets and conspiracies (because there are none). It can also be seen as unpatriotic or illegal, as is the case with The Lone Gunmen, even though the journalists would argue they are very patriotic, and only want to protect their homeland from its enemies, including itself. In the extreme this form of journalism can be accused of treason or terrorism, as is the case with a certain online publication.
Examiner : Cardiff Examiner (Torchwood: Ghost Machine/ Captain Jack Harkness ); Examiner (X-files: The Blessing Way); The Washington Examiner (StargateSG1 : 2010);
Focus (Day of the Triffids, serial 2 );
Informer: The Informer (X-files: Pusher/X-files: Small Potatoes/ Earth Final Contact: Subterra);
Inquirer/Enquirer : Philadelphia Inquirer (The Happening ); The Enquirer (Doctor Who :The Unicorn and the Wasp );
Inquisitor: Inquisitor (Smallville);
Monitor: Metro City Monitor (Megamind);
Observer: Guadalupe County Observer (K-Pax);
Reflective
Lots of newspapers see themselves as ephemeral. They reflect the day’s events and then move on, with nothing permanent or significant in their function, a lot like the office ‘round tuitt’. These papers have the most boring names.
Bulletin: New York Bulletin (When Worlds Collide ); Paris Bulletin(Lois and Clarke: Pilot );
Globe: New York Globe (When Worlds Collide );
Life: Caprican Life (Battlestar Galactica 2);
Mirror: Daily Mirror (Doctor Who: Silver Nemesis );
Network: Business News Network (Slider’s: The Good, the Bad and the Wealthy );
News: Ann Arbor News, The (The Lone Gunmen: The Cap’n Toby Show ); Daily News (BG1980: Galactica Discovers Earth/ The Day the Earth Stood Still 2/The Birds ); Metro City Daily News (Megamind); Santa Fe Daily News (First Man into Space ); South Wales News (Torchwood: Captain Jack Harkness ); News (9); The New York News (Iron Man 2 );
Newspaper: Data Universal Daily Newspaper (Slider’s : Please Press One);
Paper: Baton Rouge Paper (Quantum Leap: So Help Me God);
Planet : Weekly World Planet (The Tick 1994); The Daily Planet (Superman/Lois and Clarke/Smallville);
Press: The Pittsburgh Press (Quantum Leap: Mirror Image );
Standard: Evening Standard (Doctor Who: World War Three/ Day of the Triffids, serial 2 ); The Standard (K-9 and Company );
Times: Herald Times (Dark Angel: Dawg Day Afternoon ); Los Angeles Times (The Thirteenth Floor ); New Alexandria Times (Slider’s: Slide Like an Egyptian ); New York Times (Timecop); Taelon Times (Earth Final Conflict: First Breath ); Times, The (Slider’s: Murder Most Foul );
Today: Universe Today (Babylon 5: Divided Loyalties); USA Today (Timecop/Transformers the Movie/2 ); BSA Today (Slider’s: The Prince of Wails );
View: World View, the (Slider’s: The Exodus);
Worker: Daily Worker (Quantum Leap: Lee Harvey Oswald );
Protective
This is a very disappointing category. The role of the Press is increasingly seen as protecting the reader’s right to know the Truth. In the USA this means protecting the first amendment , guaranteeing Freedom of Speech. This Freedom is not always self evident , it constantly needs to be re-examined and assessed to ensure it remains intact. Australians only have the implied right to Freedom of Speech so there is less pressure on newspapers to be seen as guardians of Democracy.
There are not many names here.
Guardian: Boston Guardian (Iron Man 2 ); The Guardian (K-9 and Company );
Sentinel: Eastern Sentinel (Quantum Leap: Return of the Evil Leaper);
Tribune: Oakland Tribune (Quantum Leap: Jimmy ); Richmond Daily Tribune (Stargate SG1 : Ex Deus Machina); (Tribune roughly equates to a protector. There were several types of Roman Tribunes: One type were Army Officers who worked in the capacity of bodyguards. Another type was the Tribune of the Plebs who protected working class people against the decisions of judges, but could also prosecute people who attacked the state. )
Odds n’ Sods
There are a few newspapers that don't fit any category
Advance: Seattle Advance (4400 As Fate Would Have It ); Times Advance (4400 Rebirth);
Advertiser Advertiser, the (Finders Keepers );
Business: Globe Business (Stargate Atlantis: Outcast ); Texas Business Day (Slider’s : The Good, the Bad and the Wealthy );
Glob (Monsters, Inc.);
Stars and Stripes, the (Slider’s: The Exodus );
So where might names for news go on the Internet? Google Investigator? Amazon Storehouse? Yahoo Echo? Bing Today? The challenge is to be more imaginative, but let’s hope there will still be some Guardians and Sentinels for all of us.
