Mississippians cannot be beaten, not even by the nation&8217;s worst natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina.

That message rang through loud and clear on Monday as The Sun Herald newspaper, which publishes across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, earned the highest prize in print journalism &8212; the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for public service.

Despite incredible losses by its own staff, the newspaper never missed an edition. In the days after the storm, when the Coast was still in a state of shock, the newspaper continued to report on the damage, the aftermath and how residents could find help. Copies were distributed freely after the storm.

For residents without power, water, shelter or telephone access, the newspaper&8217;s arrival each day provided some bit of normalcy and helped them realize that their world would get better soon.

When the nation&8217;s focus shifted away from the Coast, the newspaper&8217;s editorial staff published a biting front-page editorial titled &8220;The Invisible Coast&8221; which helped bring national attention back to the still suffering Coast.

The staff&8217;s incredible determination and drive to keep communicating all of the information for which their devastated community was so hungry earned the most distinguished honor given to their profession.

But we suspect each person would give up the honor of a lifetime if the Coast could have been spared the disaster.