Storybrooke Daily Mirror

"The Mirror strikes again! I wanted to bring you the latest edition. I assure you it's one of my better hatchet jobs."

- Sidney Glass to Regina Mills

The Storybrooke Daily Mirror  is a newspaper on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the second episode of the first season.

Front Page Headlines

 * "Stranger Destroys Historic Sign"
 * "Coma Patient Wakes Up"
 * "Welcome Home, John Doe"
 * "Ex-Jailbird"
 * "Heartless!"
 * "Reagan: Marines Will Be Staying In Beirut"
 * "Local Paleontologist Gives Lecture On Unusual Fossil"
 * "Mr. Gold To Marry Belle French"

Characters on the Front Page

 * Belle French
 * David Nolan
 * Emma Swan
 * Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Mr. Gold

Trivia

 * -|On-screen Notes=

On-screen Notes

 * The name of the newspaper, Daily Mirror, refers to Sidney's Enchanted Forest counterpart, a genie who seals himself into the Evil Queen's mirror after using his last wish.
 * The Storybrooke Daily Mirror shares its name with a well-known British tabloid.
 * Printed on the newspaper in the same section as the price, town name and date, is the tag "Independent and Locally Owned" which is ironic given the paper's non-independence and subjection to Regina's demands before the curse was broken.
 * During season one, the newspapers do not carry dates. Instead they carry the tag "Printed Today".
 * The price of the newspaper has increased from 30¢ to 75¢ between 1983 and 2011.
 * In "The Thing You Love Most", the cover story reads (note that the article is just the same block of text repeated three times):

STRANGER DESTROYS HISTORIC SIGN

ALCOHOL INVOLVED

By Michael Wong – staff

Storybrooke, Maine – The "Welcome to Storybrooke" sign on Route 1 was demolished this morning shortly after 3 a.m. when a single car swerved off the road, colliding with the sign as it came to rest. Emma Swan, 28, of Boston was traveling south of Route 1 when she lost control of her 1979 Volkswagen Beetle beetle and left the roadway, Storybrooke Sheriff Graham told. Earlier that evening, Swan was seen getting into her vehicle visibly intoxicated, at which it was suggested to her that she spend the night in town, rather than attempt the drive back to Boston. According to Sheriff Graham, Swan claims that she was not drunk and that she swerved to avoid a large wolf in the road. Swan was wearing her seatbelt and was uninjured. Swan was taken to the Storybrooke Sheriff's office where she was treated and held overnight as a precaution. The sign sustained about $1,200 worth of damage.


 * In "The Price of Gold", the front page shows a photograph of David Nolan in hospital. The main headline (seen upside-down) says "Coma patient wakes up". Another headline says "The 13th zodiac sign?".
 * In "The Shepherd", the cover story on the newspaper says:

WELCOME HOME JOHN DOE!

Storybrooke Daily Mirror

News Staff

STORYBROOKE, MAINE – The as yet, unidentified man in his early 30's - who has become known only by the moniker, John Doe, has finally gone home - directly to a house right here in Storybrooke]]. "It is truly a miracle that he has survived at all," said hospital volunteer and local schoolteacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard, on the day of his initial admittance to the Storybrooke Hospital. "It has been inter- esting nursing him back to health and we al all [sic] so glad he has pulled through. It is incredible to think how far he has progressed. Not only is he conscious, but he now has a whole new life to live." Details as to the identity of the individual will be released soon. Several days ago, a woman claiming to be his estranged wife made herself known to the Storybrooke Sheriff's Department [obscured] [obscured]


 * The top header of the newspaper says "Comet Marley Makes Debut Appearance". Fittingly enough, the lesson plan on the chalkboard in Mary Margaret's classroom mentions comets, and other astronomical objects.
 * One of the headlines reads "Remnants of Seventeenth Century Colonial Settlement Uncovered at Harestock Bridge". Curiously, the caption does not match the headline. It mentions Storybrooke fishermen who are in an uncertain situation after health officials issue a warning about tide contamination.
 * The newspaper also has an article called "Lyme Disease: A New Understanding". Lyme disease is an infectious disease transmitted to humans by the bite of infected ticks.
 * There is also an article about capsaicin, an active component of chili peppers, that produces a sensation of burning in any tissue with which it comes into contact with.
 * Another headline mentions a "Rhododendron Society".


 * The newspaper article Henry is reading in "Desperate Souls" says:

    EX-JAILBIRD     '''

   EMMA SWAN BIRTHED BABE BEHIND BARS    

 SIDNEY GLASS  

 Editor 

STORYBROOKE, MAINE – The race for the position of local sheriff has just gone into overdrive. The Storybrooke Daily Mirror has recently come into possession of a number of controversial documents that purport to shed an entirely new light onto the character of Storybrooke’s prospective new law enforce- ment official, Emma Swan. Records show that when she was merely a girl of seventeen, Emma Swan found herself, ironi- cally, on the wrong side of the law. She was visiting friends of her foster parents in the town of Worcester, Massachusetts, it would prove to be a trip that that Swan would come to regret. Something that would earn her a juvenile criminal record. On the evening of June 16th, 1996, Swan [image ends]


 * The time and place for Emma's arrest is contradicted in "Tallahassee" and "There's No Place Like Home", which prove Emma was actually arrested in Portland, 2001.
 * One of the headlines reads "The Placebo Effect".
 * The newspaper also contains a food article about cassoulet. This is a casserole originating in the south of France, containing, among other things, white beans.


 * The Storybrooke Daily Mirror has a website.
 * In "Hat Trick" and "The Stable Boy", one of the main headlines on the cover says "the science of memory". The headline "remembering" can be glimpsed inside the newspaper in "Hat Trick". This is a subtle reference to the haze the Storybrooke residents live in, with their true identities completely wiped.
 * In "The Stable Boy", the main article says:

'''    HEARTLESS! '''

  SCHOOL TEACHER JAILED ON MURDER CHARGES   

Storybrooke Daily Mirror

News staff

A Storybrooke Elementary School teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard, was arrested yesterday and charged with the murder of Storybrooke resident Katherine Nolan [sic], according to local law enforce- ment. Although the Sheriff’s office will not release the details of the incident, Sheriff Emma Swan says that they have evidence linking Blanchard to a violent struggle with Nolan on the night of Nolan’s disappearance. Blanchard is being held at the Storybrooke Sheriff's and will await trial in the upcoming weeks. Blanchard was charged with felony counts of murder, attempted murder and assault and a misdemeanor count of criminal possession of a weapon, Swan said. She was arraigned in Story- brooke City Court and processed for holding in lieu of $500,000 bail. Although Blanchard’s motives remain unclear, one Storybrooke resident who wishes to [obscured] [obscured]


 * Another headline says "Storybrooke Elementary Girl is Crowned New Champion at Regional Spelling Bee". The girl is named Tenaya Wilkens, and her winning word was "antidisestablishmentarianism", which is a political position that developed in 19th-century Britain in opposition to Liberal proposals for the disestablishment of the Church of England.
 * There is an internal feature called "the science of memory"; a subtle reference to the haze the Storybrooke residents live in, with their true identities completely wiped.
 * The newspaper contains an article about probiotics, which are microorganisms that are believed to provide health benefits when consumed.


 * When Henry is looking at apartments in "Kansas", one of the classified ads says:

Apartment for rent Two bedroom, two bath, clocktower views, was a master woodworker in the Enchanted Forest so all cabinets are custom.


 * One of the apartments is described as "charming newly renovated". The ad says, "For enquiries please call Jeanne 604.264.1001 ext. 418". This is a real phone number, which belongs to Noble & Associates Realty Ltd, a property management company in Vancouver, British Columbia, where Once Upon a Time is filmed.
 * There is also an ad for a company called the "Royal Carpet Cleaning".
 * One ad mentions a Storybrooke location called Hunter's Grove, which also appears on a map of Storybooke in "Manhattan", "The Queen Is Dead" and "Lacey".
 * Another ad says:

SIGN, EMBROIDERY SCREENING and Sporting Goods business for sale in Storybrooke, owners are highly motivated $40,000 obo, can be seen on the web, call Jim at 555-0131.


 * A newspaper ad in "Kansas" mention a company called Storybrooke Realty, which is also mentioned in two newspaper ads in "Birth".
 * One of the front page headlines says "Storybrooke Priory's 'laughing' gargoyle" has been vandalized. One of the classified ads in "Birth" is about a house near Storybrooke Priory.
 * One of the properties listed in the classified ads is about a house located near the Storybrooke Heritage Park.


 * -|Cultural References=

Lost

 * In the online list of potential jobs, there is a temporary position as an inventory control specialist for 8 months, a reference to the second Lost number.
 * In "Kansas", one of the classifieds shows the number 16, the fourth Lost number. Another ad contains the number 08.

Popular Culture

 * In "The Shepherd", there is a picture of the Chartres Cathedral on the cover of the newspaper.
 * In "Desperate Souls", there is a picture of Stonehenge on the front page of the newspaper.
 * In "Hat Trick" and "The Stable Boy", a picture of the famous Indian marble mausoleum Taj Mahal appears on the cover.
 * On October 23. 1983, one of the newspaper headlines is "Reagan: Marines Will be Staying in Beirut", referring to the bombing of American and French troops in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War in 1983.


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * In "The Thing You Love Most", the name of the news reporter on the front page is Michael Wong, who worked as an art director on this episode.
 * The main article states Emma was seen getting into her vehicle "visibly intoxicated", at which it was suggested to her that she spent the night in town rather than driving back to Boston. This refers to a deleted scene from "Once Upon a Time: The Complete First Season".
 * A back page article called "Town plants gardens to absorb storm water" is directly adapted from an article by the same name in The Post-Star, a daily newspaper in Glen Falls, New York. The Daily Mirror's version is unreadable on its own, but if you compare it to the real article, you can see that the content is the same, but names of people and geographical names have been changed for the show.
 * The picture credit for the photo of Tenaya Wilkins says Neil Westlake; a graphic designer and production staff member on the show.
 * Neil Westlake is also listed as a complainant in a police report in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter".
 * He is also listed as one of the reviewers on the book blurb for Isaac's novel "Heroes and Villains" in "Operation Mongoose Part 1".
 * Neal Westlake is also listed as a Storybrooke entrepreneur on a sign by the town hall in "Last Rites".
 * He is also the name of the author of the book Robin Hood: Myth & Legend in "Only You".


 * On October 23. 1982, there is an article called "Shelter Dog Adopted by the Couple that Stole him". It is directly adapted from a real news article from October 2012, called "Dog adopted by couple that stole him", from the news section on the official website of WMTW, channel 8, an ABC-affiliated television station, serving the Portland, Maine television market. Geographical and business names have been changed for the Daily Mirror's version, with "Brunswick, Maine" becoming "Storybrooke, Maine", and "Coastal Humane Society" has been replaced with "Storybrooke Humane Society". Everything else, including the name of the dog (Shadow), the breed (beagle) and the date for a central event (September 21) is identical to the original. {{{Ep|Welcome to Storybrooke}}
 * A newspaper article about a campaign to encourage people to spend more money in their local Storybrooke shops, is directly adapted from an article in the British newspaper Hampshire Chronicle, a local newspaper based in Winchester, Hampshire. The original article is called "Bishop's Waltham traders to launch new campaign on July 4", and is about a corresponding, local campaign. Names of people, and geographical names, have been changed for the show; however, the last paragraph mistakenly refers to money as British pounds instead of dollars.
 * This article mentions a gift shop owner called Sabine Schoppel, the art department coordinator on the show.

Set Dressing

 * There is a Storybrooke Daily Mirror newspaper stand and a Storybrooke Daily Mirror vending machine outside Granny's Diner.


 * -|Other Notes=

Goofs

 * The front page article Emma's car crash, is just the same block of text repeated three times.
 * Kathryn's first name is misspelled "Katherine" in the Storybrooke Daily Mirror.
 * In a newspaper article about a campaign to encourage people to spend more money in their local shops, the last paragraph refers to money as British pounds, not dollars. However, another sum correctly uses dollars.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.