Behind the Story

Aug 29 2023 14 ep. 39 mins 1.5k

Behind the Story Podcast artwork

In-depth discussions with SCMP journalists and editors about how they are covering the world’s biggest news, and what’s happening behind the scenes. Brought to you by the South China Morning Post.

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A Hong Kong exorcist and the Festival of Hungry Ghosts

Aug 29 2023 26 mins

While many Western nations have Halloween, in Asia there’s the Hungry Ghost Festival. In this episode, Post reporter Lisa Cam shares what she learned from a feng shui practitioner who helps ghosts move on to the next realm – a spiritual negotiator some call an “exorcist”. Listen to find out how you know if you are haunted by spirits, and 10 things people should not do durin

What to expect from China under third-term President Xi Jinping

Mar 23 2023 64 mins

China recently wrapped up the “two sessions'' of its national legislature and top political advisory body. Beyond the confirmation of an unprecedented third term for President Xi Jinping and the unveiling of his new leadership team, the annual gatherings in Beijing are key indicators of the country's economic, military and foreign policy direction. China expert and veteran journa

Asia in 2023: the post-pandemic new order

Jan 31 2023 53 mins

After a turbulent 2022 - which saw changes of leadership in countries like the Philippines and Malaysia, fluctuating stocks and foreign exchange markets, along with a gradual economic recovery from the pandemic - how will Asia look in 2023, politically, economically and socially? South China Morning Post Business Editor Eugene Tang and Asia Editor Bhavan Jaipragas give us their tho

China’s Covid crisis: what went wrong and how bad is it?

Jan 18 2023 57 mins

China is struggling to contain the fallout from suddenly ending its draconian Covid-control regime. How bad is the situation and what’s next for the world’s second-largest economy? Former SCMP editor-in-chief Wang Xiangwei, one of the most credible China experts on the scene, sits down with chief news editor Yonden Lhatoo to break it down.

‘China knows it’s getting stronger’: George Yeo on US-China tensions

Nov 24 2022 37 mins

Former Singapore foreign minister and long-time Hong Kong resident George Yeo has been called a “China whisperer” for his ability to explain Beijing’s ambitions and perspective to the rest of the world. In this extended version of Talking Post, Yeo sits down with chief news editor Yonden Lhatoo to discuss rising tensions between Beijing and Washington, Singapore’s role in t

Neil deGrasse Tyson on China’s space program, science ignorance and UFOs

Nov 20 2022 57 mins

Dr Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the most recognizable and renowned science communicators in the world. He is famous for combining wisdom and wit to break down complex ideas for the masses and was recently interviewed for SCMP’s Talking Post video series. Here is an extended version of the Talking Post, where Tyson sits down with SCMP chief news editor Yonden Lhatoo to discuss Ch

From non-consensual porn to sextortion: exposing image-based abuse in Asia

Sep 20 2021 51 mins

Image-based abuse, including sextortion and non-consensual porn for profit, is on the rise in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, the Philippines & Indonesia. SCMP presents a multinational collaboration, led by the SCMP Asia reporter Raquel Carvalho, exploring the trend through the voices of victims and those exposing abuse and fighting for justice. Hear a discussion with Carvalho a

Inside the yoga ball murders: how police solved one of Hong Kong’s most calculated crimes

Dec 16 2020 15 mins

In 2018 a professor from a Hong Kong university was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his wife and daughter using a gas-filled yoga ball as his murder weapon. Prosecutors had accused the anaesthesiologist, who pleaded not guilty to murder, of putting a leaking yoga ball containing carbon monoxide inside a car driven by his wife. A police officer who found a deflated yoga b

Hong Kong Halloween special

Oct 30 2020 15 mins

Upon this Halloween the staff of the SCMP gather around a candle-lit microphone to tell some of Hong Kong's legendary ghost stories. Hear about the curse of the Seven Sisters, the haunted movie soundtrack that Hong Kong radio DJs call 'the Forbidden Song', the Girl with the Single Braid and the legendary tale of the Congee Delivery Boy and the Headless Mahjong Party. Presented by K

Quitting alcohol in Hong Kong: a sport reporter's journey

Nov 14 2019 26 mins

How hard is it to quit alcohol if it defines your lifestyle? Patrick Blennerhassett moved to Hong Kong and quickly became immersed in a culture of long work hours and even longer hours drinking each night. Listen as he shares his journey and the people he met along the way as he quit alcohol, changed his lifestyle and began training for a marathon next year.