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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)

U.S. falls out of top 10 in measure of innovation

by Scott Tong
Feb 3, 2021
When Bloomberg launched the rankings, America was first. Now South Korea leads the pack.
An engineering student works on a robot. Engineering is one of the fields in which the U.S. lags, according to the Bloomberg Innovation Index.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Record port backups hit California as U.S. consumers supercharge purchases

by Scott Tong
Jan 29, 2021
Thirty-eight ships are waiting to unload in the Los Angeles area. The shop-from-home explosion is behind the delays.
Bottlenecks at American ports could last through the summer, according to a manufacturing expert. Above, a ship is unloaded at the Port of Los Angeles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
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COVID-19

China's vaccine diplomacy begins critical test in Brazil

by Scott Tong
Jan 21, 2021
China has been aggressively promoting its COVID-19 vaccines around the world — to provide a public good, boost its pharmaceutical industry and gain geopolitical allies.
A container of vaccines developed by China's Sinovac is unloaded near Sao Paulo. The treatment was recently approved by health authorities in Brazil, though some people are skeptical of the Chinese product.
Nelson Almeida/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Ford is latest automaker to cut production due to microchip shortage

by Scott Tong
Jan 11, 2021
When the pandemic first hit last spring, auto plants shut down and carmakers curbed semiconductor orders.
The Ford factory in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2017. The plant recently had to shut down due to a shortage of semiconductors.
Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
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Mobile, media giants submit record bids as 5G spectrum auction tops $78 billion

by Scott Tong
Jan 8, 2021
Mid-band frequencies are often described as the Goldilocks range of the spectrum, where 5G signals fly fast and far.
Most media and wireless behemoths — including Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, Dish Network and Comcast — are betting on 5G to deliver next-generation phones, apps, entertainment and driverless vehicles.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
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Mobile, media industries see optimistic signs for 5G wireless future

by Scott Tong
Jan 7, 2021
The airwaves on the auction block include frequencies in what's called the mid-band range, allowing 5G signals to travel fast and far.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Verizon
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COVID-19

Biden plans federal board to surge COVID-19 testing. What might that look like?

by Scott Tong
Jan 5, 2021
To boost testing, the Biden team has proposed a federal Pandemic Testing Board, modeled after the War Production Board.
President-elect Joe Biden announces key members of his health team in December. Ramping up coronavirus testing will be one of his priorities.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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Oil drilling bids for Alaskan wildlife refuge expected to be meager

by Scott Tong
Jan 1, 2021
Oil giants are expected to sit out the bidding, which would mean low lease prices and measly royalties for the government.
Native American leaders hold signs against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge outside the U.S. Capitol in 2018.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
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Spending, relief bill phases out planet warming refrigerants

by Scott Tong
Dec 28, 2020
Whenever a polluting product gets phased out, a cleaner one has to be sold by somebody.
The COVID-19 relief package includes legislation to phase out a polluting chemical coolant known as HFC.
Scott Heins/Getty Images
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"Amateur" mistakes sink thieves of U.S. technology working for China

by Scott Tong
Dec 22, 2020
A case study of what not to do in the high-stakes world of economic espionage.
Chris Miller, a professor of history at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, says these controls are all about national security.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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