Post wins Asia Podcast Festival award for series on Shanghai lockdowns and life under China’s ‘zero-Covid’ policies
- From bartering with neighbours for food to supply chain slowdowns, the five-episode feature details the wide-ranging hardships of the pandemic
- Recently named one of the world’s top five most-shared podcasts on Spotify, Inside China is a stalwart of the Post’s suite of audio offerings
The South China Morning Post’s podcast team has won an award at this year’s Asia Podcast Festival for its series on the harsh “zero-Covid” lockdown of Shanghai in April.
The awards were held in Singapore over the weekend, attracting a crowd of thousands attending in person and online. Podcast creators and professionals from a host of countries in the region, and the United States, delivered presentations on an industry whose global market value is estimated to be in excess of US$12 billion.
The five-episode series from the Post’s long-running Inside China podcast included first-hand reporting from video producer Thomas Yau of his experience isolated in his Shanghai flat, where he was forced to barter for food with his neighbours – among other challenges – as the original five-day lockdown extended into two months.
Other members of the Post team based in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenyang and Hong Kong delivered reports and analysis of mainland China’s vaccination programme, the economic impact of the nation’s Covid-19 policies, the global supply chain issues resulting from strict port controls, as well as the violent confrontations and protests between angry residents and police being shared on Chinese social media.
“This is a testament to a truly international team, based in cities across mainland China and here in Hong Kong, working together to fulfil the mission of this podcast: telling stories that go beyond the headlines to give a global audience a better understanding of what’s happening inside China,” said Jarrod Watt, specialist digital editor in charge of podcasts.
The episodes were made in April and presented by three different journalists from the newsroom in Hong Kong: Mimi Lau, Holly Chik and Jasmine Tse, produced in a dynamic and flexible manner in the office and from home as the city slowly exited its peak Omicron period.
“This award is so well deserved for Jarrod and everyone who worked so hard on Inside China. The Post has taken the lead in reporting on the pandemic since the very beginning, and the Inside China podcast has showcased our unique, in-depth reporting to listeners around the world,” said director of the video and podcast team Chieu Luu.
