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| June 1 , 2005 | The
Newspaper of the NYSSCPA |
Vol.
8, No.10 |
Society Presents Financial Journalism Awards
By Lois Whitehead, Public Relations Manager
At its third annual Excellence in Financial Journalism Awards presentation, on May 3 at the Yale Club in New York City, the New York State Society of CPAs honored 11 journalists who, over the past year, made meaningful editorial contributions toward a better comprehension of business topics.
Catherine McKenzie, of ABC Eyewitness News, one of last year’s award recipients for her “Love and Money” personal finance series, was guest speaker. She described working in the New York City media market and her habit of speaking in sound bites even when off the air.
“Financial news is more important and accessible than ever,” McKenzie said. “In New York City, everyone from Wall Street tycoons to taxi drivers has tips for money. You pick up financial lingo from The Wall Street Journal and ‘Power Lunch’ (on CNBC). It is like a beat that is part of your system.”
She noted the personal fulfillment of producing a series like “Love and Money,” which helps consumers be financially responsible.
During the presentation, Newsweek received four awards. Business Editor and award recipients Charles Gasparino accepted them on behalf of the magazine’s other award winners.
David Evans, of Bloomberg Markets, one of two Bloomberg Media winners, discussed the ordeal of interviewing many corporations with shell companies in the Cayman Islands for his winning entry, “The $150 Billion Shell Game.”
Research Magazine’s Gil Weinreich, an award winner for the second year, discussed how things can be legal yet not ethical in the business world. His winning entry was a series of columns on financial and business ethics titled “The Ethical Advisor.”
CFO.com’s David Katz, also a second-year winner, discussed his study of Section 409 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which provided the background for his winning article, “The Reality of Real-Time Reporting.”
Two of the award winners, Bruce Meyerson, of The Associated Press, and Tasha Cook, of radio station WCPN in Cleveland, spoke of the positive influence their CPA parents had on them. Meyerson won for his series of columns that examine complex accounting and governance rules, concepts and developments—such as the financial reporting scandal that took place at WorldCom—and make them easy for consumers to understand. Cooke’s winning segment focused on the role of forensic accountants and fraud investigation.
Journalists have until the end of this calendar year to produce work that can be submitted for next year’s Excellence in Financial Journalism Awards competition. The deadline for submission is Feb. 1, 2006.
