Catholic Media Association recognizes the Diocese of Knoxville

The East Tennessee Catholic, Office of Communications receive awards for coverage

The East Tennessee Catholic

The Diocese of Knoxville Office of Communications and The East Tennessee Catholic diocesan newspaper have been recognized by the Catholic Media Association, winning several Catholic Media Awards, which recognize and celebrate excellence in Catholic journalism and communications.

Winners were recognized at the Catholic Media Conference in Phoenix the first week of July. Winning placements for the Diocese of Knoxville included:

• First Place in Best Special Supplement for “Bishop Beckman Ordained”
• Second Place in Best Coverage: Disaster or Crisis for “Diocese Responds to Flood Disaster”
• Second Place in Best Diocesan Electronic Newsletter for DioNotes
• Second Place in Best Website Design for dioknox.org
• Honorable Mention in Hot Topic: Eucharistic Revival for “Feeling the Presence of Jesus”
• Honorable Mention in Best Feature Writing – Non-weekly for “Praying the Whole Time”

Contributing to the effort were Bill Brewer, editor of The East Tennessee Catholic; Dan McWilliams, assistant editor of The East Tennessee Catholic; Gabrielle Nolan, a multimedia journalist in the Office of Communications; Emily Booker, digital media producer in the Office of Communications; and Jim Wogan, former communications director for the Diocese of Knoxville, who retired in 2024.

According to the Catholic Media Association website, these awards “uphold high standards of integrity and faith-centered storytelling, encouraging media professionals to inform, inspire, and engage the public through authentic portrayals of Catholic teachings and values.”

“The CMA awards confirm what I see daily—this team’s work stands out on the national stage. They deserve every accolade they receive, and I believe I speak for everyone when I say congratulations, thank you for your service, we are praying for your continued success, and we are grateful to have you representing our diocese,” said John Mecklenborg, communications director for the Diocese of Knoxville.

Stories from The East Tennessee Catholic can be found at etcatholic.org.