Ep 138: I Don't Believe in Prince & Princess Journalists - Steve Chao [x2 Emmy-nominated investigative journalist & Al-Jazeera Senior War Reporter]

Steve Chao was just a kid from Toronto who loved reading
encyclopaedias. Who later chose a career that would lead him to
the middle of opium fields during harvest time surrounded by
hundreds of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.





Just another “day in the life” of his career as a x2
Emmy-nominated and multiple award-winning investigative
journalist and filmmaker who’s led programming for the likes of
CNN, Al Jazeera, VICE, CTV (Canadian Television), CBC, ABC News,
Tencent & Channel 4.





Steve has also spent decades covering conflicts, including
America’s longest war in Afghanistan, and produced programs and
feature docs like HBO’s Traffickers, Netflix’s Midnight Asia, and
Discovery Channels’ World’s Biggest Druglord.





In STIMY Ep 138 - which was recorded in front of a live audience
at KL Podfest last weekend! - we uncovered his journey as a war
correspondent. Some things we talked about: 





Going undercover to report on the Honduran drug cartel, human
trafficking rings, selling of Nepali ancient artefacts & a
Chinese spy


Being nearly crushed in Egypt during the Arab Spring


Uncovering the UNCHR “mafia” & notorious wildlife traffickers
in Malaysia (his feet was stuck in a fire ant hill for 5
minutes!!)


The sacrifices he’s made & friends he’s lost


Why Steve doesn’t believe in Prince & Princess journalists


Why journalism is dying & the impact of cancel culture


How he wants to raise the next generation of journalists and the
vision behind his new production house, Signal Flare





It’s an exciting episode so get ready for a wild 1 hour ride with
Steve Chao!





Highlight:


2:10 Surrounded by Taliban fights in an Afghan opium field
during harvesting season

4:19 Suicide Alley

8:49 Just a kid from Toronto

10:33 His first big break uncovering a drug cartel from
Honduras

12:40 Gaining a global perspective

14:56 Going undercover as a refugee trafficked by the
Snakeheads in Vancouver

15:55 You have to learn on the job

18:03 The unsung heroes or ‘fixers’ like JoJo

21:25 Broken trust

23:24 PTSD

25:13 How does Steve ensure he isn’t crippled by what he’s
seen?

26:44 Mentors like Ted Huang

29:42 Has Steve ever regretted any sacrifices made to cover a
story?

32:29 Do these stories have an actual impact? The Chinese spy

35:08 Malaysian reporting on the UNHCR Mafia & Anson Wong
- the notorious wildlife poacher from Penang

39:56 Identifying the stories he wants to work on

42:11 The next step to crafting the story

43:34 The keyword in reporter is ‘porter’

44:26 The state of journalism today

47:27 Cancel culture & its impact on Steve’s work

50:11 What makes a great investigative journalist?

51:48 Have you done enough?

54:26 What does Steve need help with?

55:35 Do you feel like you’ve found your why?

56:15 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?

57:11 What are the most important qualities of a successful
person?






Show notes: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/138 


YouTube: https://youtu.be/KnoMe-pTbJc 


Weekly STIMY Newsletter on the art of storytelling + building
your personal brand (+snippets of STIMY behind-the-scenes):
https://sothisismywhy.ck.page/acd5bd1062


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