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Scott Tong

Correspondent

SHORT BIO

Scott Tong is a former correspondent for Marketplace. He reported on sustainability issues (energy, climate, environment, resources) for Marketplace, as well as the U.S.-China technology relationship, frequently described as “fraught.” He is Marketplace’s former China bureau chief.

What was your first job?

English-language audiotape (yes, tape) voice-over work. Sixth grade.Taiwan.

What advice do you wish someone had given you before you started this career?

Show up an hour before the interview.

Fill in the blank: Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you ______.

Gas for kid carpools; Washington Capitals hockey tickets.

What is something that everyone should own, no matter how much it costs?

Smoker (plus wooden slotted spoon).

What’s your most memorable Marketplace moment?

Sneaking into Burma for twenty bucks.

Episodes by Scott (2)

Make Me Smart | Episode 408

The weirdest trade secrets

Apr 9, 2021
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Marketplace Tech

There’s not enough internet for remote learning to go around

Oct 19, 2020
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Latest Stories (1,339)

COVID-19

Pizza companies vie for bigger slice of COVID-19 dine-at-home business

by Scott Tong
Apr 22, 2020
Domino's earnings may start to paint a picture of how competitive the company is in an industry now betting on contactless delivery.
Domino's pizza is in the middle of hiring 10,000 drivers.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Oil and big data: how to flatten the crude curve

by Scott Tong
Apr 21, 2020
The oil industry needs to flatten its own curve. A new industry of satellite imagery, geolocation data and other artificial intelligence tools has cropped up to provide fast, independent information on where the crude is in the world. Oil is the new data? In the bad old days, info on drilling, selling, shipping and storing […]
An oil pumpjack in California. The industry is suffering from a glut that drove futures prices below zero.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Prospect of U.S.-China "decoupling" grows amid shortages of medical goods

by Scott Tong
Apr 17, 2020
Shortages of medical goods change executives’ views of ties between giant trading partners
Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

"Suppliers are sexy," but the real oil collapse story is demand

by Scott Tong
Apr 3, 2020
A historic plunge in demand during the global pandemic has pushed U.S. average gasoline prices to $1.91 a gallon.
There's a lack of demand for oil as people stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Above, a woman wearing gloves gases up her car in Los Angeles on March 18.
Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Shelter-in-place orders hit factories

by Scott Tong
Apr 1, 2020
Economists say it could take three to six months of data to understand the pain in the factory economy.
The employee parking lots are nearly empty at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Belvidere Assembly Plant on March 24, 2020 in Belvidere, Ill.
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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Countries race to limit, ban exports of masks, ventilators, other gear

by Scott Tong
Mar 30, 2020
Individual governments have defended decisions to keep medical equipment at home, arguing they must take care of their medical workers and patients first.
A program to monitor global protectionism found governments placed 46 different export controls on coronavirus-related safety supplies and machines this year. Above, masks are produced at factory in Germany on March 12.
Thomas Kienzle/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Gas stations depend on getting customers inside. Is that a problem right now?

by Scott Tong
Mar 30, 2020
The U.S. has 150,000 convenience stores — and most are connected to gas pumps.
Some health experts question the safety of small convenience stores during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Joshua Lott/Getty Images
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COVID-19

West Texas oil patch girds for bust as crude price craters toward $20 a barrel

by Scott Tong
Mar 18, 2020
The Permian Basin region, anchored by the towns of Midland and Odessa, has survived past shakeouts, but some think this could resemble the crash of the 1980s.
A crude oil pipeline in Texas.
Joe Raedle/Newsmakers
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COVID-19

Mass telecommuting is an opportunity for hackers

by Scott Tong
Mar 16, 2020
As more people work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the bad guys are out. Even if your laptop is secure, your home network might not be.
As more people work from home during the coronavirus pandemic, they're more vulnerable to being hacked.
Yasin Akgul/AFP via Getty Images
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Oil price war: Saudis have lowest costs; doesn't mean they'll win

by Scott Tong
Mar 10, 2020
Low oil prices affect all producer nations. Each has different vulnerabilities.
Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images
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