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Luisa Tam

“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).

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.
In the 1980s, Chinese and non-Caucasian reporters comprised about half of the newsroom, while the remaining reporting staff primarily hailed from Britain, Australia and the US.
During that time, the paper’s headquarters occupied a seven-storey industrial building in Quarry Bay, along the waterfront. A few years later, the Eastern Harbour Tunnel would be established in the vicinity.
Being the Post cartoonist is more challenging than ever before
At that time, working for the Post was the ultimate goal for journalists – it was the premier news organisation in Hong Kong. Being a part of the Post was akin to hitting the jackpot in the field of journalism.
Before joining the Post, I worked as a radio reporter. The job was relatively straightforward – eight-hour shifts, writing concise news stories – and the best part was getting off work at 6pm once the evening newscast concluded.
For a young woman, it was an ideal job in a city with such a vibrant nightlife.
I pursued that career for a couple of years, but I felt that my professional growth had stagnated, as my list of accomplishments was as brief as a radio news script. When I heard that the Post was recruiting, I saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself.

Before joining, I was warned by many journalist friends that working at the Post would be demanding, leaving me with no personal life. There was a common saying in the newsroom – yau faan gung, mo sau gung – which means “going to work but never leaving work”.
It did not take long for me to realise the truth in those words.
Regarding the Australian editor’s question about Riyadh, I want to clarify that it is not my intention to embarrass him by highlighting that particular incident.
During that time, online search and electronic archives were not available. So, if you had a spelling or factual query, your options were limited to using a dictionary or encyclopaedia, or searching through old newspaper clippings.
However, if you were fortunate enough to be sitting near someone with a wealth of knowledge – a human Google search engine in today’s language – then you were lucky.
Occasionally, I find myself longing for the early mornings chasing breaking news, and the late nights manning the news desk
 
Background research for a story sometimes took hours, longer than the actual writing process.
The newsroom library was one of the most crucial sections of the newspaper back then. Without it, we could not write a story because we relied on the background information and reference materials it provided.
The old newspaper library was an information gold mine, housing a vast collection of newspaper clippings from different time periods, reference materials, and microfilm or microfiche.
There were countless memorable moments at the Post.
120 years of SCMP: our photographer chasing after the perfect shot for 34 years
Even when heavily pregnant with my daughter, Myfanwy, I had to manage the night news desk. And just 10 days after her birth, her first visit outside was to the Post newsroom.
A colleague from Australia once told me: “You have the world at your feet.” He was referring to the advantages of being bilingual in Chinese and English.
This statement holds true in today’s globalised environment, and even though the world wasn’t as interconnected back then, being bilingual still offered numerous benefits.
Occasionally, I find myself longing for the early mornings chasing breaking news, and the late nights manning the news desk – every moment has shaped me as a writer and a person today.
I also yearn for the human interaction that accompanied those experiences. Perhaps, in the future, instead of resorting to a simple Google search for answers to my questions, I will shout across the newsroom for help.


Refreshed South China Morning Post homepage elevates reader-first experience

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

120 years of SCMP: where the only constant has been never-ending change

Being the South China Morning Post cartoonist is possibly more challenging than ever before

SCMP’s 120th anniversary

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

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

Tam when she was editor of the Post’s opinion pages, on February 9, 2010. Photo: Nora Tam

The history of the South China Morning Post: a story that spans 120 years

Robin Hutcheon held the position of South China Morning Post editor from 1967 until 1986, writing a compelling history of the newspaper in 1983, “the first eighty years”. 

The front page of the first edition of the South China Morning Post. At the time, it was common for a newspaper’s front page to be entirely taken up by adverts. Photo: SCMP

Post co-founder Tse Tsan-tai was a prominent writer, campaigner, artist, inventor and secret revolutionary. Photo: SCMP

Fellow Post co-founder Alfred Cunningham was a prominent British journalist.

The South China Morning Post office, on the Hong Kong waterfront between Connaught Road and Des Voeux Road, circa 1908. 

The Post owes its survival to American dentist Joseph Whittlesey Noble. Photo: SCMP

Ben Wylie rose from the printing department to become general manager. Photo: SCMP

Alec Sturrock was the Post editor from 1961 to 1967. Photo: SCMP

Chinese-Malaysian businessman Robert Kuok in 2015. Photo: Nora Tam

Alibaba bought the Post in 2015. Photo: AFP

Police fire tear gas during a protest in Admiralty to demand authorities scrap a proposed extradition bill on June 12, 2019. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

The Post’s current office, in Times Square, Causeway Bay. Photo: SCMP

South China Morning Post front pages: drawing attention to important stories of the day from Hong Kong, mainland China, Asia and around the world

A selection of SCMP front pages from the past few decades. Photo: SCMP

September 2, 1945. Photo: SCMP

May 23, 1967. Photo: SCMP

July 1, 1997. Photo: SCMP

September 10, 1976. Photo: SCMP

December 1, 2022. Photo: SCMP

July 31, 1996. Photo: SCMP

August 8, 2008. Photo: SCMP

July 2, 2019. Photo: SCMP

July 1, 2020.  Photo: SCMP

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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


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


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