Ellen Smith, Owner and Managing Editor, Mine Safety and Health News, Pittsford, N.Y.
What was your first job out of college and how did you get into this business?
Working for Pasha Publications and hired by [former SIPA Hotline editor] Harry Baisden. I was working part-time for James Florio, and working part-time at Marshall’s West End in D.C. as a hostess when he hired me. Florio was getting ready to run for governor of New Jersey, and I had just met my husband so was not interested in working on the campaign (which would have been more than full-time work). I was looking for full-time employment, and while I had one job offer from another Congressman—James Bilbray of Nevada—I did not think I was cut out for Capitol Hill. It was too political. I liked the consensus building of Florio, something terribly lacking in most members of Congress. So, I knew it was time to move on.
Has there been a defining moment in your career? Perhaps when you knew you were on the right road.
I really liked mine safety and health law—more than anything else—but newsletter people are quirky. I also liked writing about coal and synthetic fuels technology when I worked on “Coal and Synfuels Technology,” and I loved writing about energy policy and issues when working on “The Energy Report.” However, with mine safety and health law, I thought that I could make a difference. I always hoped that people would read and share my stories and actually change their behavior so they would not get hurt in mining.
In brief, describe your business/company?
A newsletter on federal mine safety and health law and policy issues. There is also a CD service for readers where I index and digest every legal decision coming from the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission. I’ve got all of the legal opinions on CD dating back to the beginning of the Mine Act in 1977.
What are two or three important concepts or rules that have helped you to succeed in business?
– I break all rules or there are no rules. (I’ve never been a rule follower—just ask Harry.)
– I don’t have a business plan;
– We don’t have a set number of pages for each issue—it’s whatever is in the news. I have two contractors who work part-time with little to no direction at this point—they know what they need to do. I think it’s best just to leave people alone and let them do their job.
– Forget meetings; they are totally non-productive in my opinion.
What is the single-most successful thing that your company is doing now?
We are in business with only one focus—mine safety and health law and news. I don’t necessarily determine success the same way as big companies.
Do you see a trend or path that you have to lock onto for the second half of 2011?
More blogging—especially after being at the SIPA conference.
What are the key benefits of SIPA membership for you and your team?
What is most important to us are press credentials. Being in the newsletter industry, there are not many ways to get credentials—yet that one small card is so important when covering a government agency.
Where did you grow up?
Cranbury, N.J.—once a small farming community, in central New Jersey near Princeton. My family settled in that area in the late 1790s. There were 12 students in my “graduating” class from eighth grade. It was a small town where the kids swam in the lake in the center of town in the summer, and we rode our horses on the baseball field at the school.
What college did you attend? Is there a moment from that time that stands out?
I went to Middlesex County Community College in New Jersey and Rutgers/Livingston College, and was also at a program at Georgetown University for a summer called The Institute for Political Journalism.
I would like to say a couple of things about college. First, a journalism degree is totally unnecessary. There are some basics that are needed: basic reporting skills and I believe a course on ethics, and the Freedom of Information Act. The bottom line is that a journalist will be taught to write in the style the editor wants. I would rather have someone with a passion for a subject—like history—rather than a degree in journalism. I would also like publishers to look toward our community colleges and seek out students for internships. Our community colleges are great resources with hard-working students who typically cannot afford a higher priced college. That was certainly my case. The students can work on the simple stories for your publications and give your full-time reporters the time needed for more in-depth stories that they may not have time to cover without the extra help. The community college students also appreciate the internships, and they need the internship credits and the chance to start with some simple reporting. I always gave my interns the accidents to write up because it’s “formula writing.”
Are you married? Do you have children?
Married to Tim Pryor who I met while working part-time at Marshalls! A son, William Patrick, age 15 who has a learning “disability,” that I consider a wonderful ability. He remembers everything he is told and what he hears. He is also a great guitarist and has his first band “gig” at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester this month.
What is your favorite hobby and how did it develop in your life?
My hobby is “the farm.” When I’m not working, I am taking care of horses or mowing hay or cleaning stalls, or working on the tractor or gardening. I don’t watch television. However, NPR is on all waking hours.
Is there a book you recently read or movie you saw that you would recommend?
Just finished Leon Uris’s books in the past two months: “The Haj,” “Exodus,” “Mila 18,” “Armageddon” and “QB VII.” Uris never graduated high school and failed English three times. A lesson for employers: There are diamonds in the dust. Another favorite is Bernard Cornwell—I think I’ve read all but one or two of his books at this point.
Additional comments?
Be humble.
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As Ellen mentioned, SIPA press cards are a great
member benefit for working journalists in the field!
“…that one small card is so important when covering a
government agency,” she says.
That small card can mean big things for your company.
To get your SIPA press card, email Kati Fritz
or call SIPA at 703.992.9339.
Not a member? Check here for more
information and an application to join!
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