SOPA 2022 Awards eProgram

About SOPA Awards

The Society of Publishers in Asia was founded in Hong Kong in 1982 to encourage best practices in the publishing industry, set a high bar for journalistic standards and be a voice for press freedom and journalists’ rights in Asia-Pacific.

As part of that mandate, SOPA established the annual SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence in 1999 to recognize and reward great journalism. The annual awards are highly coveted and have become a highlight of the regional media calendar.

SOPA’s Editorial Committee, composed of senior journalists, oversees the awards in coordination with SOPA’s board of publisher representatives. All members volunteer their time throughout the year leading up to the annual awards.

In 2011, the University of Hong Kong’s Journalism & Media Studies Centre was appointed to administer the awards,including recruiting distinguished former or current journalists and academics from around the world to be judges. Each year, those judges donate their time and make sure editorial standards are upheld.

More than 90 awards are given out each year in an array of categories. The categories are periodically reviewed to keep pace with the ever-evolving ways that journalism is delivered to consumers. In the past five years, we have added Video Reporting and Journalistic Innovation to our lineup; the Public Service Journalism award replaced the Journalist of the Year category; and we have launched the category of Young Journalist of the Year. The 2022 Awards feature the new categories Technology and Audio Reporting.

The SOPA Awards are open to digital and print publications in English and Chinese.

The Google News Initiative partners with publishers and journalists to build a more sustainable, diverse and innovative news ecosystem.

We offer a range of resources, products and digital expertise to spur progress across the industry. From international news desks to local newsrooms, we want all quality publications to flourish. Find out more at newsinitiative.withgoogle.com

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Awards Categories

1 Excellence in Reporting on Women’s Issues (卓越女性议题报道奖 )

2 Excellence in Journalistic Innovation (卓越新闻报道创新奖)

3 Excellence in Audio Reporting (卓越音频报道奖)

4 Excellence in Video Reporting (卓越视频报道奖)

5 Excellence in Human Rights Reporting (卓越人权报道奖)

6 Excellence in Feature Writing (卓越专题特写奖)

7 Excellence in Technology Reporting (卓越科技报道奖)

8 Excellence in Magazine Design (卓越杂志设计奖)

9 Excellence in Arts and Culture Reporting (卓越艺术及文化报道奖)

10 Excellence in Explanatory Reporting (卓越解释性报道奖)

11 Excellence in Business Reporting (卓越经济报道奖)

12 Excellence in Infographics (卓越数据图像奖)

13 Excellence in Reporting Breaking News (卓越突发新闻奖)

14 Excellence in Opinion Writing (卓越评论奖)

15 Excellence in Reporting on the Environment (卓越环境报道奖)

16 Excellence in Photography (卓越摄影奖)

17 The Scoop Award (独家新闻奖)

18 Carlos Tejada Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting (卓越调查报道奖)

19 SOPA Award for Young Journalists (亚洲出版业协会最佳新人记者大奖)

20 SOPA Award for Public Service Journalism (亚洲出版业协会公共服务新闻大奖)

The Judith Neilson Institute

for Journalism and Ideas

is delighted to support SOPA’s work celebrating editorial excellence in the region, and congratulates all the 2022 award winners.

Find out more about us at jninstitute.org

Message from SOPA Chair By

ron Perry

For the past 40 years, the Society of Publishers in Asia has fought for press freedom and promoted the publishing industry across the region.

In the last 12 months, we’ve stayed true to these core values b y:

• Publishing statements defending press freedom in Hong Kong, Singapore, India, and Myanmar

• Organizing webinars and in-person gatherings to spur education and camaraderie amongst media industry professionals

• Informing our audience about SOPA and media industry news with social media posts and a regular newsletter

We also of course continue to hold our flagship event, the annual SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence which recognize the highest quality journalism across 20 categories and various disciplines including writing, photography, video, audio, and magazine design.

Due to the continued impact of COVID we are producing the awards virtually again in 2022, but for the first time hosting viewing parties in Hong Kong, Si ngapore, and Taiwan.

Congratulations to this year’s award winners. Your work exemplifies the power and impact of quality, truthful journalism.

I’d also like to thank all of the journalists who entered the awards, the judges who spent their valuable time assessing entries, and the SOPA board and editorial committee members and HKU administrator who worked hard to produce another successful award show. A special thanks as well to our sponsors the Google News Initiative, the Judith Nielsen Institute, and WPEngine.

Next year, I am excited to announce that we will be launching an Indonesian language award, just one example of our effort to expand SOPA’s reach beyond our traditional Hong Kong base.

For the next four decades and beyond, we at the Society of Publishers in Asia will continue to tell true stories that matter and defend our right to do so.

Happy 40th Anniversary, SOPA!

Byron Perry Chair, Society of Publishers in Asia

Board Members

Byron Perry

Jasper Chung

Julia Clyne

Chair

Founder & CEO Coconuts Media

Honorary Treasurer

Head of Corporate Development APAC, The New York Times

Honorary Secretary

VP, Head of Media Sales & The Trust, APAC Dow Jones

Desiree Au

Barrett Bingley

Lyn-Yi Chung

Publisher, Vogue Hong Kong Head of Business Development, Multilaterals and International Development, APAC Director - Media Sales, North Asia The Economist Group

Deputy Chief Editor CNA Digital, CNA

Board Members

Senior

Commercial Director, Asia Pacific Reuters Professional Thomson Reuters

Managing Director, APAC Media Sales & Marketing, Bloomberg Media

Senior

Juliet LabogJavellana

Adrian Lee

Danielle McGuigan

Juliet Labog-Javellana Associate Publisher, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Vice President, Audience Growth, South China Morning Post

Manager Communications & Brand Partnerships Financial Times

Peter Murray

Sunita Rajan

SOPA Members

Associate Members

What are the stories that define climate change?

I P

WHY JOIN SOPA?

Join Asia Pacific's leading organization promoting journalistic excellence and media industry growth

Discounts on entries for the annual SOPA Awards for Editorial Excellence

Discounts and opportunities to participate in Media Insiders events

THE MEMBERSHIPS

Full Voting Membership (publishing firms only)

One voting membership

Inclusion of publication logo on SOPA's website

Publication name listing under the Membership pa ge

Prominent logo inclusion as Full Voting member on SOPA's website

Usage of SOPA logo on your website and publication masthead

Associate Membership (firms in related fields)

Inclusion of publication logo on SOPA's website

Publication name listing under the Membership pa ge

Prominent logo inclusion as Associate member on SOPA's website

SOME NOTES

Full-Voting Membership is by publication, not by company

Membership in chapters is based on location of Asia Headquarters of Company applying

For publishers with numerous publications, please indicate the title of publication which will register as the member

Only the member publication will enjoy membership benefits

WWW.SOPASIA.COM/MEMBERSHIP

YOUR GUIDE TO A DISRUPTED WORLD

Understand China, Understand the World

Since 1903, the South China Morning Post has been the most authoritative and impactful global voice of credible reporting on China and Asia. Headquartered in Hong Kong, with local correspondents reporting out of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, we are the most recognised and awarded news organisation in Asia.

We provide breaking news and in-depth insight on everything from China’s diplomatic relations with the world, to its society and people. Visit www.scmp.com for award-winning content and analyses brought to you by our experts.

Sign up to receive our weekly curated round-up of social, political and economic stories from China and understand how they impact the world. scmp.com/newsletter/scmp-global-impact

Message from Editorial Chair and Head of Judges

As we gather, at least some of us in person for the first time in three years, there’s much to celebrate. The more than 750 entries from 192 different publications bear testimony to the resilience and breadth of journalism in our region despite the increasing restrictions on press freedom and rising threats against both individuals and organizations.

We have added three new categories to our awards slate, the Young Journalist Award last year, to showcase up- and coming talent, and the Awards for Excellence in Technology and in Audio Reporting this year, to include new formats and recognize the importance of technology in society today.

In sad news, we renamed our prestigious investigative reporting award the Carlos Tejada Award for Editorial Excellence in Investigative Reporting in honor of our late editorial committee member. Carlos passed away late last year and we miss him very much.

The SOPA 2022 Awards celebrate outstanding, fearless journalism in an extremely difficult environment. The COVID-19 pandemic continued to wreak havoc across the region, while state violence, government hostility, logistic snarls and communications shutdown made reporting not only difficult but also precarious.

And so it is only fitting that we honor the individuals who work so hard, often putting their own lives and freedom at risk, to do the important job of keeping readers informed, covering topics ranging from the tragic human cost of the military coup in Myanmar and the chaotic ending of America’s war in Afghanistan, to the rapid-spiral coronavirus crisis in India, the regulatory crackdown on China’s private sector, and tectonic shifts in Hong Kong’s media landscape.

We would also like to thank all the judges who volunteer their time to make the difficult decisions that allow us tonight to honor the best of the best.

Just as our industry keeps evolving, so too must our Awards. We’re excited that next year’s roster will include an Award for Excellence in Reporting in Bahasa Indonesia. Stay tuned for more updates on this.

Since its founding in 1982, SOPA has promoted best practices in publishing and editorial excellence which remain as important as ever. Happy 40th anniversary SOPA!

Madeleine Lim Editorial Chair Senior Executive Editor, Asia Pacific Bloomberg News

Ting Shi Head of Judges Senior Lecturer, HKU Journalism (JMSC), The University of Hong Kong

Speakers

Gina Chua

Executive Editor, Semafor

A longtime newsroom manager with a career spanning three decades and five countries, Gina Chua has worked in print, radio, television and realtime electronic media, with a broad range of experience, including as a foreign correspondent and in business journalism, general news, data and graphics, newspaper design, strategic planning, project management, and newsroom budgets, operations, safety and security and administration.

Most recently at Reuters, Gina was Executive Editor, responsible for editorial operations, including budgets, safety, security and logistics, among other duties. Before she transitioned, Gina – then Reg – held a number of other roles in the newsroom, including overseeing the graphics department and helping set up the data journalism team. She was previously Editor-in-Chief of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, and spent 16 years at The Wall Street Journal in Manila, Hanoi, Hong Kong and New York.

Gina has taught graduate- and undergraduate-level classes and short training courses on the business models of journalism, computer-assisted reporting, and numeracy at New York University, Hong Kong University, and Nanyang Technological University.

She also created and found funding for a fellowship to bring Asian journalists for a Masters’ in business and economic reporting at New York University. She speaks regularly on changes in the industry and ways to rethink and restructure journalism and newsroom processes; some of her writings are at Structure of News. She transitioned in late 2020, making her one of the most senior transgender journalists in the industry.

Alice Su

Senior China correspondent, The Economist

Alice Su is a senior China correspondent for the Economist. She was formerly the Los Angeles Times’ Beijing bureau chief. Before that, she spent five years freelancing in the Middle East.

She won the Asia Society’s 2021 Osborn Elliott Prize for Excellence in Journalism on Asia, the Society of Professional Journalists’ 2020 Sigma Delta Chi Award for excellence in foreign correspondence, and the Society of Publishers in Asia’s 2021 Award for Young Journalists for her coverage of China.

Su also won the 2014 Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize from the United Nations Correspondents Assn. for her coverage of refugee crises in Jordan and Lebanon. She was a Livingston Award finalist in 2016 for her work on youth extremism in Jordan and Tunisia. She grew up between Hong Kong, Taiwan, Shanghai and California, studied at Princeton University and Peking University, and is now based in Taipei.

Master of Ceremonies

Juliette Saly

Bloomberg Radio and Television, Anchor and Reporter

Based in Singapore, Juliette Saly is an anchor and reporter for Bloomberg Radio and Television, where she covers business and economic developments that move Asia’s financial markets.

She has also reported on many major events across the region, from live coverage of the December 2014 Café Siege in Sydney to interviews with news-makers, including tennis player Venus Williams at the Hong Kong Open and Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer at the Singapore F1 and Qantas CEO Alan Joyce ahead of the 2018 Singapore Airshow. Prior to joining Bloomberg, Juliette spent nearly a decade reporting on markets from the trading floor of Australia’s largest online broker, CommSec, in Sydney while holding an RG 146 Stockbroker Accreditation. In this role, she provided market analysis to international news organizations including Al-Jazeera, CNBC, Fox News and the BBC, including coverage of the global financial crisis in Australia.

Juliette started her journalism career as a radio newsreader and reporter before joining Channel Nine in Sydney. Born in the Netherlands and raised in Sydney, Juliette received her Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, NSW Australia, minoring in Politics and Communications.

Editorial Committee Members

Deputy Asia Editor, The New York Times

† Dec. 17, 2021

Carlos was a much-valued and important editorial committee member since 2018. We miss him and mourn his sudden passing.

Assistant Asia editor, The New York Times

Head of Judges

Senior Lecturer, HKU Journalism (JMSC), The University of Hong Kong

Deputy Head of Judges Honorary Lecturer, HKU Journalism (JMSC), The University of Hong Kong

In Memoriam, Carlos Tejada

Gillian Wong

Ting Shi

Matthew Leung

Carlos Tejada Memoriam

The Carlos Tejada Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting

The Carlos Tejada Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting honors the life and work of the editor and journalist, Carlos Tejada. As an editor at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, Carlos was unstinting in his pursuit of truth and public accountability of the powerful. His personal integrity as well as his obsession with accuracy, clarity and fairness, gave the work he oversaw a credibility that made it difficult to ignore. He seeded this discipline and ethos in newsrooms through his influence on reporters, who saw him as a gifted editor who listened to their ideas, scrutinized their stories and elevated their work. He would regularly print out convoluted drafts of several thousand words, tape each page together vertically, then tirelessly help his reporters parse the material and distill their best ideas from it.

Carlos’s work helped The Times earn a Pulitzer Prize in 2021, editing an investigation into China’s censorship in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. The piece delved into thousands of secret government directives and other documents that showed in extraordinary detail how the Chinese authorities steer and influence online opinion. Carlos was also one of the editors who had worked on a series of articles about China’s repression of Muslim ethnic minorities that was a finalist for the Pulitzer in international reporting in 20 20.

Carlos had spent two decades at The Wall Street Journal as a reporter and an editor in the U.S. and Asia. From Hong Kong, he helped guide the Journal’s coverage of the 2011 Japanese earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, skillfully helping staff translate Japanese-language scientific jargon into accurate English on high-pressure, rolling deadlines. Later, as the Journal’s China news editor in Beijing, he worked with reporters charting the rise of China’s corporate power, particularly the technology companies whose innovation and dominance at home challenged their American competitors in foreign markets. He threw himself into stories where official and corporate misdeeds exacted a toll on people, from the meltdown of China’s stock markets to a deadly explosion of illegally stored chemicals at a container storage facility.

He joined The Times in 2016 as Asia business editor and guided the region’s most ambitious business stories about the rise of techno-authoritarianism and the saga of Carlos Ghosn, and most recently served as deputy Asia editor. Carlos passed away suddenly in December 2021, at 49. Dedicating this award to him is a way of honoring work that embodies the qualities reflected in his career, and reckoning with the loss of a dear colleague, friend and mentor.

Special Acknowledgement to Sponsors and Awards Administrator

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Supporting Partner

Special Acknowledgement to Advertisement Donors

List of Judges

Name Company

Job Title

Roby Alampay PumaPodcast Chairman, Editor-At-Large

Adolfo Arranz Reuters Senior Graphics Editor

Thu Thu Aung Reuters Correspondent

Nicole Baute HKU Journalism Assistant Lecturer

Bo Mi Fanpai Film Podcaster

Patrick Boehler Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Head of Digital Strategy

David Bottomley CNA Mediacorp Deputy Chief Editor

Keith Bradsher

The New York Times Beijing Bureau Chief

Marianne Bray HKU Journalism Honorary Lecturer

Weiyi Cai

The New York Times Graphics/Multimedia Editor

Simon Cartledge Big Brains Ltd Director of Research

Ying Chan The University of Hong Kong Educator/Journalist/Media Consultant

Ernie Chan Ignites Asia Reporter

Pui-king Chan HKU Journalism Honorary Lecturer

Quinton Chan Brunswick Partner

Wade Chan Hong Kong Baptist University

Lecturer, Academy of Film, School of Communication

Lulu Yilun Chen Bloomberg Team Leader for Investing and Real Estate

Yi-Shan Chen CommonWealth Magazine Deputy Managing Editor

Joanna Chiu Toronto Star National Correspondent

Dennis Chong Telum Media Region Head, East Asia

Vivienne Chow Artnet News London Correspondent

Debasish Roy Chowdhury Independent Journalist/Author

Gina Chua Semafor Executive Editor

Crystal Chui Bloomberg Editor

Regina Chung Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) East Asia Researcher

Judith Clarke Hong Kong Baptist University Part-time Lecturer

Lucy Colback Freelance Writer

Zach Coleman Nikkei Asia Deputy Editor

Andrew Collier Orient Capital Research Managing Director

Sam Colombie HKU Journalism Teaching Coordinator

Wei Du CNA Mediacorp Senior Correspondent

Marcelo Duhalde

South China Morning Post Associate Creative Director

Robin Ewing Hong Kong Baptist University

Kecheng Fang

Director of International Journalism, Senior Lecturer

The Chinese University of Hong Kong Assistant Professor

Anna Fifield Stuff Wellington Editor

King-wa Fu HKU Journalism Associate Professor

Uli Gaulke HKU Journalism Adjunct Professor

Paul Goddard Freelance Media Consultant

Robert Godden Rights Exposure Executive Director

Gilliam Hamilton Gavekal Dragonomics

China Editor

Darren Hayward The New York Times Design Editor

Huifeng He South China Morning Post

Guangdong Correspondent

Name Company

Christopher Hill

Job Title

DestinAsian Editor-in-chief

Angela Ho Ahoy Visual Art

Billy Ho Hang Seng University

Artist/Illustrator

Part-time Lecturer, School of Communication

Brant Houston University of Illinois Professor

Shan Huang Caixin Media

Deputy Managing Editor

Zhimin Huang 数可视 (Data-viz.cn) CEO

Echo Hui Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Investigative Journalist

Hasan Jafri HJ Advisory Founder & Managing Director

Sijia Jiang M+ Manager, Digital Content

Diana Jou HKU Journalism Lecturer

Natasha Khan The Wall Street Journal Reporter

Samantha Kierath South China Morning Post Chief Production Editor, China Desk

Glenda Korporaal The Australian Writer/Columnist

Anne Kruger First Draft Director, APAC

Elaine Kurtenbach The Associated Press Asia Business Editor

Nicole Kwan Independent Consultant

Kristine Kwok FTI Consulting Director

Agnes Lam The Chinese University of Hong Kong Lecturer

Tom Lasseter Reuters Enterprise Editor, Global Finance and Markets

C K Lau Hong Kong Baptist University Head, Department of Journalism

Kevin Lau Emerson College Marketing Content Director

Matthew Leung HKU Journalism Honorary Lecturer

Titus Levi USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry (ICCI) Associate Professor

Raymond Li Hong Kong Baptist University

Associate Professor of Practice

Ying Li University of Macau Assistant Professor

AJ Libunao HKU Journalism Lecturer

Benjamin Lim The Straits Times Global Affairs Correspondent

Fen Lin City University of Hong Kong Associate Professor

Jason Liu The Reporter Media Foundation

Deputy Editor in Chief

Juliana Liu Forkast News Head of Product, Editorial

Kin-ming Liu KM & Associates Director

Alberto Lucas López National Geographic Senior Artist

Zhenhua Lu Caixin Media Senior Editor

Mary Kay Magistad Center on US-China Relations at Asia Society Associate Director

Shibani Mahtani The Washington Post Writer

Debra Mao Independent Communications Adviser

Rosalind Mathieson Bloomberg

Executive Editor International Government

Jane Meacham Independent Writer/Editor

Adam Najberg Tencent Games Global (IEGG) Head of Communications

Dean Napolitano Freelance Journalist

Lin Neumann AmCham Indonesia Managing Director

Tze-wei Ng HER Fund Board Director

Joyce Nip University of Sydney Associate Professor

Bret Okeson Bloomberg TOP Editor

Yumiko Ono The Wall Street Journal Editor, News Operations, APAC

Paul Panckhurst University of Auckland Media Adviser

Name Company

Raffaello Pantucci S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)

Job Title

Senior Fellow

Anthony Patrick Freelance Editor

Abe Peck Northwestern University Professor Emeritus

Polly Peh Independent Consultant

Byron Perry Coconuts Media

Citra Prastuti

Founder and CEO

PT Media Lintas Inti Nusantara (KBR) Editor in Chief/Director

Joey Qi Global Investigative Journalism Network

Yue Qiu Bloomberg

Chinese Editor

Team Leader for Innovation and Interaction

Carolyn Qu Reuters Editor, Chinese Language News

Saritha Rai Bloomberg Senior Reporter

Emily Rauhala

The Washington Post Brussels Bureau Chief

Keith Richburg HKU Journalism Professor

William Ridgers The Economist Asia Digital Editor

Victoria Ruan McLarty Associates China Research Associate

George Russell Financial Times

John Saeki Agence France-Presse

Asia Copy Editor

Team Leader, Asia-Pacific Graphics and European Coordinator

Ross Settles HKU Journalism Adjunct Professor

Shen Lu The Wall Street Journal Reporter

Ting Shi HKU Journalism

Silva Shih

CommonWealth Magazine

Senior Lecturer

Managing Editor

Calvin Sit Calvin Sit Photography Photographer

Daniel Sneider Stanford University

Simon Song

South China Morning Post

Anthony Spaeth Korea JoongAng Daily

Tim Summers

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Harry Surjadi Freelance

Lecturer, International Policy, East Asian Studies

China Photo Coordinator

Senior Editor

Assistant Professor

Journalist

Jeff Sutherland Bloomberg Energy Editor

Catherine Tai Reuters

Eva Tam Fidelity Canada

Kit Tang Modern Media (Bloomberg Businessweek/Chinese)

Zheng Tang Renmin University of China

Jeff Timmermans Arizona State University

David Tweed Freelance

Contract Designer and Illustrator

Social Media Manager

Executive Editor

Associate Professor

Chair Professor in Business Journalism

Journalist

Wang Feng Financial Times Editor in Chief, FTChinese.com

Jennifer Wang Rights Exposure Director of Communications

Kuan Hsu Wang China Labour Bulletin

Bettina Wassener Schneider Electric

Laurel West The Economist Group

Program Manager

Head of Editorial

Managing Director, Economist Events, Asia

S K Witcher Freelance Editor

Alan Wong VICE Media

Managing Editor, APAC, VICE World News

Elaine Wu JPMorgan Managing Director

Vivian Wu Axial Vibe Studio

Co-founder and CEO

Chris Yeung Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU) Part-time Lecturer

Keith Zhai The Wall Street Journal

Yidi Zhao Bank of China (Hong Kong)

Senior Correspondent

Head of Public Syndicate, Global Markets