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| January 2005 | The
Monthly Newspaper of the NYSSCPA |
Vol.
8, No.1 |
Print and Broadcast Media Need Society Members as Experts
By Lois Whitehead, Public Relations Manager
With tax season fast approaching, local media throughout the state call on Society members as experts to interview about planning. In interviews, Society members are asked a wide range of complex and basic questions, such as how to adjust the timing of income and deductions while including charitable contributions and gifts to relatives.
Based on media inquiries, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are likely to be a hot topic on the horizon. These accounts are expected to become more popular after Jan. 1. By then, companies will have had a little more than a year since the federal government created the accounts, allowing them to put the specifics of their own HSAs in place and have employees enroll in the program.
In anticipation of questions about HSAs, the Society’s media relations department teamed up with the Society’s Health Care Committee, chaired by Harvey N. Susnick, CPA, of Berdon LLP, to write a press release about the top questions and answers on HSAs.
In a continuous effort to build its database of Society members who are qualified and comfortable talking to the press, the Society encourages members who specialize in a particular tax area to send their background information to lwhitehead@nysscpa.org.
Excellence in Financial Journalism Award
Because the Society values its relationships with media, each year it presents Excellence in Financial Journalism Awards to print and broadcast media throughout the country.
The award is offered in six categories: print under 1,500 words; print over 1,500 words; radio; television; wire services; and electronic media.
Previous winners have been Time, BusinessWeek, Money, The New York Times, USA Today, ABC Eyewitness News, the Associated Press, Bloomberg Radio and The Staten Island Advance.
The Society hopes members will encourage local media outlets to enter. An application is available in the Press Room of the Society’s website.
Pieces that were published or broadcast in 2004 are eligible, and the deadline to enter is Feb. 1. There will be a special awards luncheon in May for the winners.
