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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)

TikTok

Trump OKs American acquisition of TikTok, but only if the U.S. gets a cut of the deal

by Scott Tong
Aug 4, 2020
Microsoft can "go ahead" with efforts to buy TikTok, Trump said, so long as the U.S. Treasury pockets "a substantial amount of money."
Cindy Ord/Getty Images
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COVID-19

U.S. and EU vaccine deals raise fears of 'vaccine nationalism'

by Scott Tong
Jul 31, 2020
What does it mean for the rest of the world if countries have dibs on vaccine doses?
President Donald Trump tours a North Carolina lab making components for a potential vaccine. The U.S. has struck deals with drug companies for access to coronavirus vaccines in development.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

No mask? Behavioral scientists on how we make pandemic decisions.

by Scott Tong
Jul 28, 2020
Public health professionals have been advocating for masks for months, yet pockets of stiff resistance remain.
People wearing face masks stroll in Charleston, South Carolina. Decision-making can be influenced by the decisions of people you identify with.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
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Gold hits record amid investor skepticism of economy, stocks, bonds

by Scott Tong
Jul 27, 2020
When there’s no other good answer, people buy gold.
A woman sells gold jewelry to a shop in Bangkok. The price of the precious metal has climbed.
Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images
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New supply-chain crisis during pandemic: not enough cans for food

by Scott Tong
Jul 24, 2020
Manufacturers and distributors are running out of empty cans to pack nonperishable foods that Americans are buying in bulk.
A shelf almost bare of canned food. With Americans stocking up on food for future needs, supplies of containers are running low.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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During shutdown, do U.S. or Chinese food delivery apps have the edge?

by Scott Tong and Jennifer Pak
Jul 17, 2020
Marketplace’s Jennifer Pak in Shanghai and Scott Tong in the Washington, D.C., area sample each country’s e-grocery and restaurant delivery apps.
A food delivery worker drives along the streets of Shanghai. Chinese companies seem to have invested more in the logistics of app-based delivery than U.S. companies so far.
Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images
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Electric vehicle makers surge on investor optimism

by Scott Tong
Jul 15, 2020
Investors believe EVs are closing in on the internal combustion engine in terms of driving range and cost of ownership.
Nissan COO Ashwani Gupta, left, and CEO Makoto Uchida at the digital world premiere of the company's new electric SUV, the Ariya.
Nissan
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In win for White House, the UK bans Huawei 5G telecom gear

by Scott Tong
Jul 14, 2020
The Trump administration has been pushing for the move for two years.
A Huawei product display in London.
Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Testing, testing: Labs, supply chain overwhelmed by coronavirus surge and diagnostic demand

by Scott Tong
Jul 7, 2020
Corporations, schools and sports leagues are putting additional pressure on testing supplies.
A health worker administers a coronavirus test in Florida. Demand for testing has surged.
Octavio Jones/Getty Images
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$8 billion natural gas pipeline canceled, raising questions about fuel's future

by Scott Tong
Jul 6, 2020
With challenges from environmental groups and state governments, the idea of natural gas as a bridge fuel may be fading.
Climate activists protest the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in February.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
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