Laura Westbrook and Elaine Lai are journalists both born and raised in Hong Kong and both were reporting on the Tai Po tower fires for foreign news organisations.

In many ways they experienced this news event very differently from both local and overseas born journalists covering this disaster.

Laura Westbrook works for broadcast media channels all over the world, covering news all over south east Asia, but has been most recently - and most prominently - been reporting for the Al Jazeera channel, while Elaine Lai is a fourth year journalism student at Hong Kong Baptist University who works as an intern for Associated Press and also works as editor in chief of Hong Kong’s oldest student newspaper, the Young Reporter.

Tai Po is where Elaine was born and raised, and where Laura started her first job in broadcast journalism. Both were among the first media on the scene, and subsequently worked for days on end covering what is now one of the worst fire disasters in Hong Kong's history. They discuss some of what was missed in world media coverage of Tai Po, and what it was like to see the blossoming of a huge community response for the fire victims which was ultimately shut down by a government concerned about un-named "hostile external forces".

The conversation also touches on the impact of the fire on the local community and the role of social media in shaping public perceptions, and how overseas media narratives quick to blame Hong Kong's historic tradition of bamboo scaffolding for the fire's spread lead to a surge of Hongkongers taking to social media to refute these narratives. They speak about their efforts to manage mental health and exhaustion in days-long shifts dominated by trying to keep track of social media.

Find out how the FCC has joined the aid effort and how you can help the victims of the Tai Po fire:

https://www.fcchk.org/stand-together-how-you-can-support-the-tai-po-recovery-efforts/

The Young Reporter: https://tyr-jour.hkbu.edu.hk/

Written and produced by Jarrod Watt

Theme music composed and performed by Allen Youngblood

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nobel laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz delivers a stark assessment of America's economic trajectory in this compelling and wide-ranging conversation with veteran broadcast journalist and Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong first vice president Karen Koh.

Drawing parallels between current political upheaval and historical threats to democratic institutions, Stiglitz argues that abandoning Enlightenment principles - science, education, and rule of law - undermines long-term economic prosperity. From the AI bubble inflating tech stocks while leaving Main Street behind, to immigration policies creating labor shortages across industries, Stiglitz dissects how policy chaos breeds uncertainty that stifles investment and consumer confidence. He challenges conventional wisdom on manufacturing revival through tariffs, advocating instead for innovation in green technology and construction.

The discussion spans critical global challenges: deteriorating US-China relations hampering climate cooperation, trade deficits worsened by fiscal irresponsibility, and the emergence of a fragmented world order made more perilous by the complex geopolitical relationships involving North Korea, China, and Russia. Stiglitz warns that America's retreat from international leadership has created a "G minus one" scenario where other nations advance multilateral solutions without US participation. This episode offers essential insights for understanding how domestic political choices ripple through global markets, supply chains, and diplomatic relationships - and how all of this gets just a bit more complicated with the arrival of AI and its associated investment bubble.

Produced by Jarrod Watt.

Theme music composed and performed by Allen Youngblood.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode is the audio of a recent FCC Hong Kong Club Lunch, moderated by FCC correspondent governor Jing Yang, in conversation with award-winning investigative journalist Karen Hao. Hao's investigation of Open AI and her subsequent book the Empire of AI is a bestseller. Yang begins the conversation by delving into one of AI’s most vexing questions: what is intelligence, and why is it so difficult to measure?

Here's how AI summarised the ensuing discussion:

From failed benchmarks and the philosophical roots of AI debates to the rise of machine learning, listeners learn why scientific consensus on intelligence remains elusive, complicating assessments of both human and artificial intellect. The conversation tracks OpenAI’s history—from early disappointments with games like chess and Dota, through securing multi-billion-dollar funding, to its dominance and ethical controversy in the modern AI industry. With a spotlight on exploitative hidden labor in developing countries, the podcast unpacks how the race for AGI reshapes economic power, policy, and technology investments. Hao explores OpenAI’s market strategy, financial risks, and political influence, as well as the disruptive trends from open-source competitors and global innovation. Ultimately, the episode challenges listeners to confront the growing ethical, financial, and philosophical stakes behind AI’s ongoing revolution.

Find more Club Lunches and QandA sessions with guest experts and authors at the FCC Hong Kong Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@FCCHKFCC

Written and produced by Jarrod Watt

FCC podcast music composed by Allen Youngblood

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.