Ohio APME honors journalists John Halley and Eric Decker

COLUMBUS — Messenger photographer John Halley and sports editor Eric Decker received a total of four awards at Ohio's most competitive journalism contest .

Halley was recognized as Ohio's best photographer at the 2023 Ohio Associated Press Media Editors contest in the Division II categories, for medium-sized newspapers. The finalists were announced in mid July and an awards ceremony was held Sunday in Columbus.

Halley also received second place in the Best News Photo category for "Protest on Court Street," depicting a group of protesters in front of the Athens County Courthouse.

Halley also claimed third place for Best Feature Photo for "Movie on the Roof," which shows a viewing of a film from the Athena Cinema's Classics and Cocktail series on the Athens Parking Garage rooftop.

Judges said of the photograph, "Solid image of what could have been a difficult situation. Good use of color and composition. The photographer found an excellent perch from which to shoot so that all of the elements work together."

Decker earned third place in the Best Sports Enterprise for a series of stories, "Nelsonville-York players help volleyball team's success rise," about the Nelsonville-York High School's volleyball team and its rise as a consistently strong program.

"John and Eric are dedicated journalists who take pride in covering Athens County," said Paul Reynolds, regional publisher of APG Ohio. "Ohio APME features some of the best work in our industry. It's an honor to have Messenger staff members recognized for all they do alongside their peers."