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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

Pandemic innovation: Supermarkets invest in robot pickers as online ordering takes off

by Scott Tong
Mar 12, 2021
Grocery titans including Walmart, Kroger and Albertsons are developing high-tech solutions to accommodate shifting demand.
It's hard to know what grocery store jobs will look like in the future as automation advances.
Stephen Chernin/Getty Images
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Fast-Track Vaccines

Indian drugmaker says U.S. is hoarding vaccine ingredients

by Scott Tong
Mar 9, 2021
The CEO of the Serum Institute of India said American raw materials are running out due to Biden administration policy.
The CEO of the Serum Institute of India said at a panel last Thursday that American raw materials are running out. Pictured: A Serum Institute employee works on an assembly line for the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Punit Paranjpe/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID & Unemployment

For the long-term unemployed, jobs report is not so upbeat

by Scott Tong
Mar 5, 2021
The longer people are away from the workforce, the longer it takes to return.
People who have been out of work for prolonged periods may lose the confidence they need to keep looking.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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COVID-19

$5 COVID test, DIY-style, may be on the way

by Scott Tong
Feb 25, 2021
Half-hour, at-home tests that you can do without a prescription are on the verge of going big.
They're known as rapid antigen tests. Right now there is no cheap, at-home version available in the United States without a prescription, but several applications are in the queue before the FDA. Pictured: A rapid antigen test in Spain.
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Vaccine supply chain bottlenecks eased, drugmakers tell Congress

by Scott Tong
Feb 23, 2021
Pfizer and others are collaborating to accelerate production. Johnson & Johnson and Novavax may receive FDA approval soon.
In vaccine making, one of the key bottlenecks is filling bottles quickly.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
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COVID-19

Wearable tech shows promise for early COVID-19 detection

by Scott Tong
Feb 22, 2021
Academic researchers are studying whether consumer fitness devices can provide warning signals long before a person's symptoms.
A Stanford University COVID-19 study is tracking people with Apple Watches, Fitbits and other trackers. Above, an Apple Watch from 2014.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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Texas blackouts during deep freeze highlight grid challenges

by Scott Tong
Feb 16, 2021
When it comes to electric power grids, supply and demand need to be in balance.
In Texas, the freezing weather raised costs for electricity ratepayers but caused many customers to lose power.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Online alcohol sales rise during the pandemic

by Scott Tong
Feb 12, 2021
What's on tap for American drinkers? Could be free delivery, one consultant says.
"Cocktails-to-go has been a great phenomenon," says Chris Swonger, CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council.
Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP via Getty Images
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Fossil fuel pollution is killing 8.7 million people a year, study says

by Scott Tong
Feb 9, 2021
Further investment in fossil fuels, even for a pandemic recovery, could have devastating human costs, the study says.
"One of the worst things we could be doing is stimulating our economy with measures that then lead to more deaths on the fossil-fuel front," says climate economist Gernot Wagner.
Brook Mitchell/Getty Images
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COVID-19

Schools try new COVID-19 testing strategy: pooling specimens

by Scott Tong
Feb 8, 2021
Pooled testing lets schools monitor lots of students and teachers who have no symptoms but could be carriers.
Coronavirus testing will remain essential in the United States and around the world, even as vaccines go into people's arms.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
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