Messenger wins five GPA awards
The Walker County Messenger has won five awards in the Georgia Press Association’s 2021 Better Newspaper Contest.
The awards are for articles and photographs published during 2020.
Assistant editor Catherine Edgemon received a second place award for investigative reporting for her articles “Standstill: LaFayette church officials say burdensome regulations have halted building efforts,” published May 20; “Controversy drives
concerns about Walker County transit director position,” published Sept. 2; and “Lawsuit charges commissioner with violating Open Records Act,” published March 18.
“The Messenger’s team strives to provide quality, reliable local news coverage,” Edgemon said. “To be recognized for excellence any time is an honor. Considering the challenges COVID-19 has posed for news coverage over the last year, this recognition is humbling and appreciated.”
Sports editor Scott Herpst netted second place awards in the sports coverage and sports feature story categories. He received a third place award for sports feature photograph.
The Walker Messenger and Catoosa County News publish a combined sports section that runs in both newspapers.
“I’m honored that the Georgia Press Association judges thought so highly of the work that I put in each week,” Herpst said. “It’s not only a profession, but after more than 20 years, it’s still a labor of love.”
Herpst shares a first place award for sports section or pages with paginator Kelsey Dickerson.
“I also want to thank all those that have helped me with submitting photos and providing me with game details to add to the stories, and I especially want to thank Kelsey for
her hard work, creativity and professionalism that made the pages look so great each week,” he said.
The Walker County Messenger, owned by TimesJournal Inc., is the county’s oldest continuous business, having published its first newspaper in 1877.
The Walker County Messenger competes in Division E, which includes all weekly newspapers having a circulation less than 3,000.