What the South China Morning Post was like in the 1980s and how it has shaped me as a person

Luisa Tam reflects on what working at the Post was like pre-internet and hitting the journalism jackpot as the newspaper celebrates its 120th anniversary

The newsroom library was one of the paper’s most crucial sections when she joined – but sitting next to a human Google search engine was a good substitute

Reading Time:3 minutes

Luisa Tam is a senior editor at the South China Morning Post who first joined in the 1980s. She looks back on her time as the newspaper celebrates its 120th anniversary. Photo: May Tse

Published: 6:30pm, 8 Nov 2023

“What’s the capital of Saudi Arabia?” a senior Sunday Post editor shouted out, likely working on an editorial or proofreading a story about the Middle East.

A voice from a few desks away, belonging to an Australian, promptly responded: “Riyadh.”

The senior editor, also Australian, sought clarification, asking: “Do you spell it with one ‘d’ or two ‘ds’?”

This was a common scene in the newsroom at the South China Morning Post when I first joined in the 1980s (I had the opportunity to work for the paper multiple times).

Luisa Tam joins then Hong Kong Governor Chris Patten (right) and other journalists and photographers at the Newspaper Society of Hong Kong awards at the Regent Hotel on April 4, 1993. Photo: SCMP

The atmosphere was incredibly casual, perhaps due to the significant number of Australians and the overall laid-back environment. It was a revelation to me that we could even come to work in shorts and flip-flops during the summer, which was undoubtedly influenced by the pervading Australian culture.