Cleveland Daily Banner
The Cleveland Daily Banner is a daily newspaper published in Cleveland, Tennessee. Founded in 1854, it is the longest-running newspaper in Bradley County, and one of the oldest newspapers in the state.
The newspaper was founded as the Cleveland Banner, a Democratic newspaper by editor Robert McNelley, and published its first edition on May 1, 1854. McNelley, who was a supporter of the Confederacy during the Civil War, was arrested by Federal troops in the fall of 1863, and the newspaper ceased publication. The newspaper returned on September 16, 1865 under McNelley's leadership.
Initially headquartered downtown, it moved to its current offices on 25th Street in January 1970.
The two associate editors, Rick Norton and Gwen Swiger, have been with the newspaper for a combined period of more than 50 years. The Gwen Swiger/Rick Norton Scholarship for Journalism and Communications, designed for students in Bradley County Schools and Cleveland City Schools, was announced on May 10, 2018 on a day designed in their honor by County Mayor D. Gary Davis and Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland. The scholarship is being administered by the Community Foundation of Cleveland/Bradley County, and was established by Banner staff writer Brian Graves.
