Reporter's Notebook
In Reporter's Notebook, TaiwanPlus journalists share the untold stories behind their reports—from surprising encounters to moments that didn't make it to air. It's a candid look at the reporting process and the voices bringing Taiwan's stories to life. New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
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Selling Shovels for the AI Gold Rush
Host Joey Chou and tech reporter Ai Chi break down Taiwan's jaw-dropping economic growth, which is projected to hit a staggering 10.16% this year thanks to the global AI boom. They dive into key takeaways from this year’s COMPUTEX, TSMC’s market dominance and whether this "shovels in a gold rush" tech rally is a sustainable economic driver or a bubble waiting to burst.
Watch Ai’s feature: COMP
Taiwan’s Little Green Person: What Does the Signal Really Mean?
Taiwan’s familiar “little green person” has long been a fixture at pedestrian crossings — but what is the running figure actually telling people to do? Reporter Tiffany Wong joins host Joey Chou to discuss new rules clarifying when pedestrians can enter a crosswalk and why the government plans to phase out the confusing running animation. They also compare road culture in Taiwan with the United St
From Spain With Love
Host Joey Chou and producer Isabel Wong discuss her interview with Spanish visual artists Anna Devís and Daniel Rueda for the 300th episode of ZIZO. They explore the duo’s playful, architectural aesthetic, their strict "no AI" handmade philosophy and the chemistry fueling their whimsical boba tea art in Taipei.
Watch Isabel Wong’s feature: A World of Wonder: Spanish Visual Artists' First Int
Speed Dating with Pets: Inside Lang Lang Don’t Cry
Host Joey Chou and producer-anchor Isabel Wang delve into Taiwan's animal welfare scene through the organization Lang Lang Don’t Cry. They discuss how its unique, immersive café model allows potential adopters to bond naturally with strays, bridging the gap for shelter animals to find permanent homes.
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The Tech Cooling Boom
Host Joey Chou and reporter Ai Chi discuss Taiwan’s overlooked yet dominant role in the AI sector: advanced liquid cooling solutions. As powerful chips generate massive heat, Taiwanese firms like Asia Vital Components (AVC) quietly corner the global market, proving essential to keeping the AI boom from overheating.
Watch Ai’s feature: Taiwan’s Hidden AI Giants: The People Who Stop the Chip Sec
Boiling Frogs: The Global Chip Hub’s Energy Dilemma
Reporter Ai Chi joins host Joey Chou to discuss Taiwan’s precarious energy security. As the country imports some 95% of its energy, primarily from the Middle East, Ai Chi warns that disruptions to oil and natural gas supplies threaten both domestic stability and the global semiconductor industry.
Watch Ai Chi’s feature: Explainer: Middle East Conflict's Impact on Taiwan's Energy Situation.
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Bullet Holes and Scars: Remembering Taiwan’s 228 History in Kaohsiung
Reporter Tiffany Wong discusses her coverage of the 228 Incident anniversary in Kaohsiung. She highlights historical landmarks—like the former City Hall and Kaohsiung Senior High School—that still bear physical scars from the 1947 uprising. The episode emphasizes passing these memories to younger generations to ensure Taiwan's democratic history isn't forgotten.
Watch Tiffany’s feature: 228 In
Frontline Taiwan: Taiwan’s Defense Calculus
Producer Eric Tsai explains the four-part Frontline Taiwan series, which examines the potential stages of a China invasion scenario: a disguised naval blockade, air dominance and air denial, amphibious landings on Taiwan’s limited “red beaches” and full escalation. The series aims to reduce public anxiety through knowledge, preparation and strategic clarity.
Watch Eric Tsai and Jaime Ocon’s fe
From German Mandarin Schools to Taiwan’s Unsung Heroes
Producer Isabel Wang discusses her recent features for the show Zoom In, Zoom Out. She shares insights from her trip to Dresden, Germany, exploring a local Mandarin school near the new ESMC plant. Isabel also highlights the demanding lives of Taiwan’s sanitation workers during the Lunar New Year rush.
Watch Isabel’s features:
Germany’s Semiconductor Talent Pipeline
Lunar New Year Unsung H
The Humility of the Horse: Lunar New Year Traditions
In this episode of Reporter's Notebook, Joey Chou and Eric Tsai explore the cultural nuances of Lunar New Year in Taiwan. From the "unlucky" zodiac Year of the Horse to the digital modernization of temple rituals and the chaotic logistics of a holiday newsroom, they reveal how traditions are evolving.
Watch the TaiwanPlus LNY special: Galloping Into the Year of the Horse!
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Beyond the Chips: The Turbulent Recovery of Taiwan’s Machine Tool Industry
Despite a GDP surge in 2025, Taiwan faces an uneven recovery. While AI and semiconductors drive growth, the machine tool industry—a vital employer—struggles with currency appreciation, US tariffs and global competition. Experts emphasize the need for traditional sectors to upgrade technology to ensure broader economic prosperity. Joey Chou gets the full story from reporter Ai Chi.
Watch Ai Chi
Vertical Inspiration: Alex Honnold Takes on Taipei 101
Join Joey Chou and Bryn Thomas on Reporter’s Notebook as they dive behind the scenes of Alex Honnold’s historic free solo ascent of Taipei 101. They discuss the grueling four-day shoot, the challenges of navigating exclusive Netflix access, and how the massive crowd's energy felt akin to a religious event.
Watch Bryn’s report here: Alex Honnold Free-Solos Taipei 101 in Front of Thousands of Sp
Ink and Identity: The Evolution of Taiwan's Tattoo Culture
In this episode of Reporter's Notebook, Sandy Chi explores Taiwan's evolving tattoo culture. She discusses the revival of traditional Indigenous hand-tapping techniques with Paiwan artist Cudjuty Patjidres. The conversation highlights tattoos as personal expressions of memory and identity, and the shift away from gang-related stigmas.
Watch Sandy Chi’s report: Paiwan Tattoo Artist Revives Once
The Fragile Balance of Taiwan’s Tech Dominance
In this episode of Reporter’s Notebook, host Joey Chou and reporter Chris Gorin break down a landmark shift in Taiwan's economic landscape. While a new trade agreement with the United States offers relief to some industries, the conversation quickly pivots to the elephant in the room: the massive, resource-hungry boom of Artificial Intelligence.
Watch Chris Gorin’s live cross here: US-Taiwan Trad
Beyond the Battlefield: Remembering Taiwan’s ‘Comfort Women’
Reporter Tiffany Wong reflects on covering Taiwan’s so-called comfort women – women and girls who were trafficked into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II – confronting war’s impact on non-combatants, historical silence and why remembering these women matters amid today’s rising geopolitical tensions.
Watch Tiffany’s report here: Remembering Taiwan's 'Comfort Women,' 80
What Retirement Means for Dolphins Raised in Pools
As Taiwan prepares to phase out dolphin performances by 2026, a TaiwanPlus report examines what happens to captive dolphins after the shows end. The discussion explores animal welfare, captivity limits, conservation education, and the emotional challenges of reporting on animals that cannot return to the wild.
Watch Sandy’s report: Taiwan's Dolphin Performances To End in 2026
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Why is Taiwan’s Economy Splitting in Two?
Joey Chou speaks with TaiwanPlus Tech and Business Desk reporter Ai Chi about a new World Inequality Report that places Taiwan among the world’s most unequal developed economies.
Watch Ai’s report: Taiwan’s Top 10% Earn Nearly 50% of Income, Hold 60% of Wealth
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Taiwan’s Gelato That Makes the Italians Go “Mama Mia”
Reporter Sandie Chi tells us about an unlikely culinary success story: a small gelato workshop in Changhua whose creators went on to win the world’s top gelato prize in Italy.
Watch Sandy Chi’s report: Team Taiwan Creates World's Best Gelato
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The Guardian Deity of Taipei’s Oldest District
Bryn Thomas talks about the Qingshan King Festival, one of Taipei’s oldest and most distinctive religious traditions. Centered in the Wanhua district—Taipei’s earliest urban settlement—the festival honors the Qingshan King, a tutelary deity believed to protect the neighborhood from illness and misfortune.
Watch Bryn Thomas and Zalán Sata’s report: Qingshan King: Centuries-Old Festival Kept Ali
Hydrogen Hits the Road in Kaohsiung
Joey speaks with TaiwanPlus business and tech reporter Ai Chi about Taiwan’s first hydrogen refueling station in Kaohsiung. They explain why the rollout targets buses and heavy trucks, how “blue hydrogen” is produced from natural gas, and why cost, safety, and logistics will determine whether hydrogen can help Taiwan meet its 2050 net-zero goals.
Watch Ai’s report: Taiwan's First Hydrogen Refueli
How a Chinese baseball league crossed the foul line for Taiwanese fans
Joey sits down with TaiwanPlus local politics and sports reporter Leslie Liao to unpack the “Shanghai Brothers” controversy in China’s new baseball league. They explore fan backlash, plagiarism suspicions, CTBC Brothers’ response and why cross-strait politics inevitably seep into Taiwan’s pro baseball. The conversation ends on Leslie’s own favorite CPBL teams.
Watch Leslie Liao’s baseball repo
Remembering Peng Wan-ru: A legacy of courage and reform
This episode visits the life and legacy of Peng Wan-ru, the DPP’s first Women’s Affairs director, whose 1996 murder galvanized Taiwan’s modern feminist movement. Joey Chou sits down with reporter Tiffany Wong to trace the events that led to landmark domestic violence and sexual assault laws, examining how advocacy, tragedy and social change reshaped Taiwan’s path toward gender equality.
Watch Tif
Why Taiwan’s Science Parks Matter — and Why the US Wants Them
In this episode of Reporter’s Notebook, Joey Chou talks with TaiwanPlus tech and economics reporter Chris Gorin about one of Taiwan’s biggest policy debates of the year: tariffs and the emerging “Taiwan model” for US trade negotiations. Chris breaks down what the government actually means by this new term — from private-sector–led projects to industrial clusters and talent training — and why Taiwa
Why Taiwan is Training Reservists How to Fly Drones
TaiwanPlus reporter Lery Hiciano takes us behind the scenes of an early-morning trip to the northeast coast to cover President Lai Ching-te overseeing reservist drone training. The program is part of a broader push to strengthen Taiwan’s defenses as pressure from China grows. Lery walks us through why drones are becoming central to Taiwan’s plans, what it means to train reservists to operate them,
Countdown Begins for Taiwan’s 2026 Local Elections
There’s less than a year to go before Taiwan holds its next local elections on Nov. 28, 2026, and campaigns are already starting to take shape. In today’s Reporter’s Notebook, local politics desk lead Tiffany Wong breaks down what’s at stake—and how both ruling and opposition parties are talking about making it easier for voters to cast ballots.
Watch Tiffany’s report: Lawmakers Propose Absent
When Knowledge Leaves: TSMC’s Brain Drain Problem
Host Joey Chou kicks off his first episode of Reporter’s Notebook with TaiwanPlus reporter Leslie Liao, diving into one of Taiwan’s biggest tech stories of the year — a former TSMC executive accused of taking company secrets to Intel.
They unpack what the case reveals about Taiwan’s semiconductor “brain drain,” the limits of non-compete clauses, and why shrinking workforces and stronger foreign c
Behind the Reel: A Rescue in the Mud
Social Media News Editor Sara Conway walks us through the top-performing Instagram reels from the past two months, and one moment stood out. In eastern Taiwan, our crew captured a man being pulled from deep mud after flooding — a reel that drew nearly two million views. Sara shares the back story behind the shoot and how our crew called for help.
Here are the top performing Instagram reels (and o
Preventing Accidents in Taiwan’s Fishing Fleet
Reporter John Van Trieste looks at why accidents on Taiwan’s fishing boats remain so common, with nearly half of recent marine incidents involving the fleet and most deaths tied to fishing vessels. For World Fisheries Day, he speaks with survivors, advocates, and safety inspectors about the biggest risks on board — from dangerous wiring to missing life jackets — and what authorities say they’re do
Inside Google’s New Taipei AI Hub
Tech reporter Chris Gorin brings us inside Google’s launch of its new Taipei R&D office — now the company’s largest AI infrastructure engineering hub outside the U.S. The move marks a major investment and underscores a growing trend of American tech giants expanding in Taiwan as its central role in the global AI supply chain becomes increasingly clear.
Chris also talks about some of the trend
Sitting With a Champion: Lin Yu-ting’s Path to Victory
Reporter Sandy Chi sits down with Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting, who made history by winning Taiwan’s first Olympic boxing gold at the 2024 Paris Games. Sandy first met her during pre-Olympics athlete profiles and quickly saw the qualities that define her: stubbornness, bravery and open-mindedness.
They talk about Lin’s new book, “Dreams Weigh More Than Pain,” which traces her journey from train
Probing the Risks of Chinese AI Tools
Reporter Alan Lu examines Taiwan’s growing concerns over the security risks posed by Chinese-made AI models like DeepSeek. Analysts warn these tools can harvest far more than search queries—potentially collecting data that reveals political leanings or even biometric identifiers such as fingerprints and facial features. Testing the model himself, Alan found it echoed Beijing’s stance on Taiwan’s s
Out of the Pool, Into the Ring
In today’s Reporter’s Notebook, producer Alec MacDonald shares highlights from two recent field episodes of Zoom In Zoom Out: Taiwan’s move to end dolphin performances and an exclusive sit-down with Olympic boxer Lin Yu-ting. He also talks about future plans which will take the program back to Hualien to investigate the plight of farmers affected by recent flooding and year-plans to bring the prod
Alec MacDonald on Crafting Smart Interviews
Alec MacDonald, producer and occasional host of Zoom In Zoom Out, reflects on how he built the show’s network of expert voices — and why thoughtful interviews deepen our understanding of Taiwan’s interconnected stories. Alec also looks back on his first on-location interview, a return to his National Dong Hwa University campus where he once witnessed a building burn after the 2024 earthquake.
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Taiwan and Malaysia Get Simpatico
Reporter Tiffany Wong discusses her takeaways from a visit to Malaysia covering Taipei’s New Southbound policy to strengthen ties with partners in South and Southeast Asia. Her series of reports included historical connections, food and travel, agricultural cooperation, education links and of course the world of tech.
Watch Tiffany’s reports from Malaysia:
Taiwanese Businesses Enter the Halal
Inside Taiwan’s Pro Wrestling Ring
TaiwanPlus reporter Bryn Thomas steps into the world of NTW — Taiwan’s up-and-coming professional wrestling league — where athleticism meets theater. Drawing on his own background in Greco-Roman and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Bryn explores how local wrestlers bring storytelling and character work to the ring. He talks about a rare opportunity to interview Japanese wrestling legend Jaguar Yokota, once ha
Finding Your Voice in the Field: David Santos, Part 2
In part two of our conversation with producer David Santos, we move from his early years reporting in Mindanao’s conflict zones to the craft of storytelling. Santos shares how he now trains reporters to step in front of the camera and deliver what we call a “Piece to Camera (PTC).” He explains why these moments matter — not just for style, but for credibility.
He also recalls one unforgettable
From Conflict to Compassion: Reporting Through Crisis
Before joining TaiwanPlus, producer David Santos spent years on the front lines in the southern Philippines. As a reporter to some of the most conflict-ridden parts of Mindanao, he covered clashes between government troops, rebel groups, and terror organizations—stories that often left civilians trapped in the crossfire. Yet amid tragedy, there were moments of purpose. Reporting on disasters like
Tech-Styles: Innovation, Sustainability and AI in Taiwan’s Textile Revolution
Reporter Ai Chi takes us behind the scenes at a recent textile trade show in Taipei, revealing how Taiwan’s world-leading textile sector is embracing advanced manufacturing technology to stay ahead of the game commercially and also become more environmentally sustainable.
Watch Ai Chi's report: Taiwan’s Textile Sector Innovates to Stay Ahead >)
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What is Taiwan Doing to Help Seniors with Mental Health Needs?
Taiwan is on the cusp of becoming a super-aged society, joining countries such as Japan, South Korea, Germany, and Italy. Today, in Reporter’s Notebook, John Van Trieste talks about how Taiwan is tackling the issue of seniors with mental health needs.
Watch: Activity Centers Bring Awareness to Caring for Senior Citizens’ Mental Health
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From Taipei to the Lion City: Taiwan’s Business Footprint in Singapore
Singapore and Taiwan haven’t had official relations since 1990 but the two remain closely tied through business exchanges. And as the global economy faces uncertainties, parties from both sides are working together to overcome new challenges. TaiwanPlus reporter Isabel Wang recently traveled to Singapore to discover how Taiwanese are making their mark in the city-state's startup and business world
Looking back to Taiwan’s Retrocession Day
On October 25, 1945, the defeated Empire of Japan gave up control of Taiwan, an island it had ruled for 50 years, to the Republic of China, turning Taiwanese from imperial subjects to citizens of a republic overnight. Eighty years later, Taiwan has undergone monumental changes, yet the significance of Retrocession Day remains complex and even controversial. Bryn Thomas discusses his latest reports
Taipei Pride 2025 and an LGBTQ+ Progress Report
Former Human Rights Desk reporter Reece Ayers shares what visitors can expect at Taipei Pride this weekend. He also examines the challenges still facing Taiwan’s LGBTQ+ community and reflects on what it was like covering Taiwanese drag performer Nymphia Wind’s historic win on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
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‘Read to Persuade’: Yvonne Yang on Anchoring Live News
Anchor and line producer Yvonne Yang takes us inside a live broadcast—how she preps to go live and what contingency drills taught her after a real on-air scramble. Pacing, pronunciation and writing scripts for broadcast (not print) are just a few of the skills she’s learned along the way.
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When the Golden Bells Ring: Taiwan’s Emmy Awards at 60
Culture and society reporter Sandy Chi revisits the history of Taiwan’s Golden Bell Awards via a 60th-anniversary exhibition in Taipei. She also talks about a family connection—her grandmother won a Golden Bell Award in 1982. Sandy reflects on what the awards mean today and how broadcasting legacies continue to resonate across generations.
Watch Sandy’s report: Exhibit Explores History of Gold
The Forgotten Taiwanese Soldiers of Okinawa
Bryn Thomas shares what he learned while producing a series on the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II—including how many Taiwanese men were conscripted into Japan’s forces and died in the bloody Battle of Okinawa.
With scarce archives and fading memories, Bryn reveals why their stories were long overlooked and how his team is working to preserve them before they’re lost to time.
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Through the Flood: Reporting from Guangfu
When Typhoon Ragasa tore through eastern Taiwan, Irene Lin from the TaiwanPlus climate desk was among the first journalists to reach Guangfu Township — a community left isolated after a natural dam burst in the mountains.
Standing in ankle-deep mud beside shattered storefronts and wrecked homes, Irene met residents who invited her in to tell their stories — people who had lost nearly everythin
Behind the Mic on Double Ten: Hosting National Day Live
Journalist Leslie Liao pulls back the curtain on anchoring Taiwan’s National Day broadcast — three hours of live performances, ceremony, and the president’s address. He shares how he and co-host Betty Chen prep to narrate the action, weave in context for global viewers, and pivot as cameras cut from honor guards and flyovers to student performances and the giant flag pass.
Hear why timing, tea
Life Inside Taiwan’s “Dementia Village”
Journalist Cadence Quaranta takes us inside one of Taiwan’s unique “dementia villages,” where residents live in community-centered spaces designed to help them age with dignity, connection, and local culture.
This moving feature explores how Taiwan is responding to the challenges of an aging society — and what other countries might learn from its approach.
Watch the full report: Aging Locally: I
