PRESS RELEASE
April 12, 2007

Mine Safety and Health News wins top honors from the Society of Professional Journalists

(April 12, 2007; Pittsford, N.Y.) Mine Safety and Health News is proud to announce that is has received the Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists for Public Service in Newsletter Journalism for coverage of the Sago Mine Disaster.

The Sigma Delta Chi Awards date back to 1932, when the Society first honored six individuals for contributions to journalism. The current program began in 1939, when the organization awarded the first Distinguished Service Awards. These awards later became the Sigma Delta Chi Awards.

Mine Safety and Health News owner and managing editor Ellen Smith of Mendon, N.Y, legal editor Melanie Aclander of University Park, MD., and Washington correspondent Kathy Snyder of Arlington, Va., will be presented with their award July 20 during the annual Sigma Delta Chi Awards banquet at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

"These awards represent the best of American journalism," said SPJ President Christine Tatum. "In an age when it is increasingly difficult to differentiate between fact and opinion and news and entertainment, the outstanding work of these journalists is a powerful reminder of the importance of ethical and responsible news gathering that is of true public service. This award winning work is what all journalists should strive to deliver every day."

During the Sago Mine disaster, in which 12 miners lost their lives in the aftermath of a Jan. 2, 2006 mine explosion in West Virginia, Mine Safety and Health News owner and managing editor Ellen Smith conducted over 50 television and radio interviews during and after the disaster, providing much sought-after non-biased, factual reporting on mine safety issues, laws, and the industry in general.

Ellen was quick to put together a Question and Answer segment that appeared on the MSHN web site and was updated several times each day as new questions were asked about Sago, MSHA, the rescue efforts and mining policy. Copies of the Q&A were emailed or faxed to any reporter who asked for help. In addition, Ellen assisted reporters in negotiating MSHA's web site, and answering questions when reporters claimed that they could not get the MSHA press office to return calls. For a two week period, Ellen was available from 5 a.m. - 11 p.m. for nation-wide and world-wide interviews.

Kathy Snyder also spoke with reporters while closely following and interpreting the breaking news. Her in-depth interview with several Sago family members, published in Mine Safety and Health News in April 2006, detailed their experiences during and after the emergency, including the miscommunication that left them believing 11 miners had been rescued, while officials knew otherwise. Kathy's coverage of the 3-day Sago public hearing in Buckhannon, W.Va., was the most thorough among the dozens of news outlets assembled there. She continued to follow the investigation and related Congressional hearings throughout the year.

Melanie Aclander kept track of MSHA's court fight which forced the mine operator to allow the UMWA to participate in the agency's accident investigation. The litigation also upheld the right of the Sago miners who wanted to union to represent them during the investigation to remain anonymous. Melanie also spoke with radio and newspaper reporters giving them background information.

This is Ellen's 22nd journalism award and the second time she has been honored with the Sigma Delta Chi Award in her 20 year reporting career. Her first SDX Award was for her in-depth coverage of the 1989 William's Station Mine Disaster. This is Melanie's fifth journalism award, and Kathy's third. It is their first SDX Award. Mine Safety and Health News staff has also been recognized in the past by the National Press Club, the Newsletter Publishers' Foundation and APEX/Communications Concepts for their reporting on mining issues in the U.S.