Talk:San Jose Mercury News

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This article refers to a periodical that doesn't have its ISSN information listed. If you can, please provide it.

"The Merc's sections vary by day of the week, but Business, Sports, and The Valley are standard daily fare."

...Except in those areas which get The Peninsula (or The East Bay?) instead of The Valley. And the A section--and of course the Classifed[ ads]--are fairly standard fare. :-) —wwoods 20:57, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Ohhhh, OK, you're right. I probably won't retake the photo, but of course you can adjust the caption. :-) Elf | Talk 21:12, 14 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Contents 1 preposterous "Mercury" theory 2 Pricing 3 Online 4 Nickname 5 Request for article

[edit] preposterous "Mercury" theory

User:67.180.169.248 said

Removing preposterous "Mercury" theory.

The name "Mercury" refers to the importance of the mercury industry during the California Gold Rush, when the city's New Almaden Mines were the largest producer of mercury in North America.

Hey, I thought it was unlikely myself, but the paper's website says,

... Founded in 1851 as the San Jose Weekly Visitor, the Mercury News has grown into one of the nation's great dailies. Drawing its name from the region's quicksilver mines, the Mercury News...http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/contact_us/about/

I still think it may be a folk etymology. Mercury--the messenger of the gods--is one of the standard names for newspapers, like Herald and Tribune, but the theory isn't uncorroborated. —wwoods 06:27, 18 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I put it back with a hedge. Elf | Talk 01:41, 19 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I know this is a very old discussion but I think the explanation is pretty simple. The people who started the San Jose Mercury were thinking up a name for their paper--they had many choices: Times, Gazette, Chronicle, Tribune, Herald, Mercury, etc.--and of those they picked "Mercury" because it had a double meaning. Nohat 22:30, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

There is an interesting note about the name Murky in the Drawbridge, California article. Can anyone verify?

[edit] Pricing

I think the pricing section is a little goofy. Things get more expensive over time; there is no conspiracy. I have been exposed to the San Diego Union-Tribune and USA Today and I know both have raised their prices within the past five years. That's just how it works.

[edit] Online

The SJMN has a national presence as it is online. I seem to recall it was one of the first newspapers to go online. When did that happen? When did newspapers generally go on the 'Net? Paul, in Saudi 13:52, 29 October 2006 (UTC)

TEST TO BE DELETED

[edit] Nickname

The paper is also commonly known as the "Murky News". Can anyone find a reference for this? 18.26.0.5 (talk) 17:26, 6 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Request for article

• Could someone create an article for the former Publisher Jeff Kiel? Thanks! Jccort (talk) 18:14, 13 May 2008 (UTC)