Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame inducts 3 posthumously

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Three newspaper executives have been posthumously inducted into the Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame.

John M. Jones III was publisher of The Greeneville Sun who expanded his company, Jones Media, into a family-owned group of eight newspapers. Adams Publishing Group acquired Jones Media in 2016.

John L. Seigenthaler was editor, publisher, chairman and CEO of The Tennessean of Nashville. He was also the founding editorial director of USA Today and a leading proponent of the First Amendment.

George T. Whitley worked with The Covington Leader for nearly 57 years. He was named publisher in 1975 and continued until his retirement in 2003.

The induction ceremony was held Friday during the annual Tennessee Press Association summer meeting. The Tennessee Newspaper Hall of Fame was established in 1966 as a joint project of the TPA and the University of Tennessee.