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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)

China halts Ant Group IPO after Jack Ma blasts red tape

by Scott Tong
Nov 3, 2020
Analysts say the suspension reinforces the dominant role of the Chinese government in the private economy.
People visit a showroom of Ant Financial, now called Ant Group, in Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province in 2018.
AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Filipino ship worker heads home after 6-month crew-change delay

by Scott Tong
Nov 2, 2020
Engineer Raymond Seguin had been at sea more than 400 days when he was finally able to return home.
An estimated 400,000 ship workers are unable to return home due to COVID-19.
Burak Kara/Getty Images
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Senators grill tech CEOs as both parties fault internet content policies

by Scott Tong
Oct 28, 2020
Legislation to tighten the oversight of internet content may be coming.
Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images
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COVID-19

As cases of COVID-19 climb, oil prices face a longer recovery

by Scott Tong
Oct 19, 2020
OPEC countries, plus Russia, met Monday amid fears that the next wave of the pandemic will pummel demand.
An Austrian soldier stands guard outside the OPEC headquarters in Vienna in 2016.
Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Global food prices rise as countries stockpile amid worsening pandemic

by Scott Tong
Oct 16, 2020
Globally, grain and meat prices continue to rise, just as more and more people can’t afford them because of widespread job losses.
Empty shelves at a grocery store in Los Angeles in March. One expert said the U.S. is probably among the worst of developed countries when it comes to food security.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Here's why some are too optimistic about the pandemic

by Scott Tong
Oct 15, 2020
Behavioral economics helps explains why we're prone to letting our guard down.
Optimism bias can cause some to flout safety guidelines, like mask wearing and social distancing.
Sergio Flores/AFP via Getty Images
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China charges forward into 5G wireless future, despite pandemic, weak economy

by Scott Tong
Oct 8, 2020
Compared to the rest of the world, the U.S. ranks dead last in 5G speeds.
People pass by a billboard in Beijing advertising Huawei's new 5G smartphones.
Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images
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Will U.S. action against SMIC hurt China's tech sector?

by Scott Tong
Sep 28, 2020
The Trump administration has long harbored suspicions that the semiconductor company supplies Chinese military interests.
Workers build semiconductors at a factory in Beijing. The U.S. ban on doing business with SMIC is the latest in a long string of U.S.-China conflicts.
Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Relief sought for ship workers stuck at sea

by Scott Tong
Sep 24, 2020
Not being able to change crews on these ships is a problem for the health and safety of workers, as well as a pretty good way to clog up supply chains.
A French container ship and a Hong Kong cargo carrier, off the shore of Hong Kong's Lamma Island, were placed under a quarantine order after some crew members tested positive for COVID-19 in July.
Daniel Suen/AFP via Getty Images
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TikTok

The next TikTok could well be on the way to the U.S. before long

by Scott Tong and Jennifer Pak
Sep 22, 2020
The wildly popular video-sharing app may be the beginning of a new era in Chinese tech.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
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