From career detours to untold stories in the world of journalism and technology: Liza Lin is anchored by her mission

In an era where technology evolves at a breakneck pace, journalists like Liza from the Wall Street Journal find themselves at the intersection of innovation and storytelling. With over 15 years of experience covering Asia, Liza shares her journey, insights, and the challenges of reporting on China's dynamic tech landscape. Her role in journalism is the ultimate pause maker in helping her readers to pause, understand and learn more. 

“The best story lays out the facts and then the readers make up their mind on how they want to feel and their takeaway from the story.”

In the art of storytelling, Liza emphasises that journalism is more art than science. The mission of journalism, she notes, is to tell stories that others overlook, hoping to prompt action and give voice to marginalized communities. Her love for technology stems from its constant evolution. She also highlighted how tech has reshaped every aspect of life, making it an ever-engaging beat for a journalist.

“It's upended the way we shop, upended the way we drive, it's upended the way we do things. Ten years ago, or in 2010 before the advent of the iPhone, nobody would have imagined life with an iPhone. Now nobody can imagine life without an iPhone.”

Liza cited Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce giant and now, an AI powerhouse, as her first encounter with China's tech scene. “China is just one of those places where it's so dynamic when it comes to innovation… They barely finished version 1.0 and they're already starting on 2.0.”

As the co-author of Surveillance State: Inside China's Quest to Launch a New Era of Social Control (2022) with her colleague, Josh Chin, Liza went deep on the dual nature of surveillance, exploring China's use of technology for population control. While surveillance can enhance security, it also poses ethical dilemmas, especially when used to profile and categorise “people of interest”. Their book aims to shed light on both the positive and negative aspects of surveillance.

On the outside, Liza’s career may look like a dream – but it was marked by closed doors, unexpected detours. After graduating from NTU Wee Khim Wee School of Communications majoring in Journalism, Liza wanted to work for local Singapore media in 2006 but there was a hiring freeze, so she joined Bloomberg TV and that opened up the door for her to move to Shanghai as a China Correspondent with Bloomberg News. 

“My career has been several lucky episodes of doors getting closed in my face but another one opens… the new open door wouldn't have been something that I would have thought about but I jumped at the chance anyway and it led me to different things and aspects which I love.”

To her, the only exception is grief with her father’s passing after being diagnosed with cancer – it was the hardest 13-month long pause she took to spend time with family and working on her book at the same time.

As Liza continues her fellowship with MIT Knight Science Journalism in Technology and Science, she is very clear on her two priorities and what she fights for every day: Ensure her kids have a fair and balanced life and tell stories that are overlooked by policymakers to prompt positive policy action. To her, they drive her, motivate her – As a true journalist at heart, the clarity in her mission and priorities has helped her to handle pauses both intentional and unexpected. 

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Her ways to restore, refresh and recharge during her pauses:

Restore… Heal and regulate body and mind again

It's all about regulating stress. For me, stress is closely-related to all three of these topics. When I am under a lot of stress, all three of these categories go awry. I eat badly, I don't exercise and it results in me sleeping badly too, as exercising helps me sleep better. So when I am stressed, I am much unhealthier overall.

Refresh: Gain new perspectives

During my breaks, I learn new topics! When I did my masters, I took classes on history and foreign policy. At MIT, I am learning about sustainable energy sources, generative AI and biology. I haven't had the time in years to take up new hobbies, but would love to take up soccer sometime. I read in fits and starts, most frequently on the airplane. Unfortunately, I often don't finish all the books I start. The latest two books I read were "Invisible China" by Scott Rozelle and Natalie Hell, and "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I didn't finish the latter because of time, but it is an amazing read. 

Recharge! Bring new energy

What brings me new energy is to reconnect with my good friends and family. Often, I energize myself by peeling myself away from work/family and going for a run outdoors. It's cold in Massachusetts now, but beautiful foliage. My best trips have been hikes in Nepal, Kyrgyzstan and Lombok, Indonesia.