No story is worth dying for but... are the sacrifices actually worth it?

Steve Chao was just a kid from Toronto who loved reading encyclopaedias. Who later chose a career that would lead him to the middle of opium fields during harvest time surrounded by hundreds of Taliban fighters in Afghanistan.

Just another “day in the life” of his career as a x2 Emmy-nominated and multiple award-winning investigative journalist and filmmaker who’s led programming for the likes of CNN, Al Jazeera, VICE, CTV (Canadian Television), CBC, ABC News, Tencent & Channel 4.

Steve has also spent decades covering conflicts, including America’s longest war in Afghanistan, and produced programs and feature docs like HBO’s Traffickers, Netflix’s Midnight Asia, and Discovery Channels’ World’s Biggest Druglord.

In STIMY Ep 138 - which was recorded in front of a live audience at KL Podfest last weekend! - we uncovered his journey as a war correspondent. Some things we talked about:

✅ Going undercover to report on the Honduran drug cartel, human trafficking rings, selling of Nepali ancient artefacts & a Chinese spy
✅ Being nearly crushed in Egypt during the Arab Spring
✅ Uncovering the UNCHR “mafia” & notorious wildlife traffickers in Malaysia (his feet was stuck in a fire ant hill for 5 minutes!!)
✅ The sacrifices he’s made & friends he’s lost
✅ Why Steve doesn’t believe in Prince & Princess journalists
✅ Why journalism is dying & the impact of cancel culture
✅ How he wants to raise the next generation of journalists and the vision behind his new production house, Signal Flare

It’s an exciting episode so get ready for a wild 1 hour ride with Steve Chao!

Highlights:
0:00 Introduction
1:20 Being ditched in an Afghan opium field surrounded by hundreds of Taliban fighters
3:29 Suicide Alley
7:59 Just a kid from Toronto!
9:42 His first big break - busting a drug cartel from Honduras!
11:48 How Steve gained a global perspective
14:06 Going undercover as a refugee trafficked by the Snakeheads who were selling them to become indentured slaves
15:05 Learning on the job as a war correspondent
16:44 Steve always had 3 bags packed because...
17:13 The unsung heroes like JoJo
22:33 PTSD
24:33 How Steve ensures he isn't crippled by what he's seen
25:53 Mentors like Ted Huang
27:27 Any story he's covered that wasn't worth the sacrifice made?
31:51 Do these stories actually made a difference in the real world?
34:18 Malaysian reporting - uncovering the Malaysian UNHCR 'mafia' & Anson Wong's activities as an illegal wildlife poacher
39:06 Deciding on the stories to cover
41:21 The next step in crafting the story
42:43 The keyword in 'reporter' is porter
43:36 The state of journalism today
46:37 Cancel culture & its impact on Steve's work today
49:20 Qualities of a great war correspondent?
50:58 Has Steve brought justice to the world?
53:36 What can listeners help Steve with?
54:43 Do you feel like you've found your why?
55:25 What kind of legacy do you want to leave behind?
56:21 What do you think are the most important qualities of a successful person?

🎙️Show notes/transcript for this episode: https://www.sothisismywhy.com/138

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WHO AM I:
I'm Ling Yah, a Malaysian lawyer & host/producer of the So This Is My Why, where I interview inspiring people about how they found their why, and their blueprint for turning that why into a reality. I’ve interviewed a former US Congressman, retired 4 star generals, Olympians, Michelin-starred chefs, top entrepreneurs, VCs, Hollywood actresses, and more.

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⌨️ I’d love to hear from you! Just leave a comment below or email me at sothisismywhy(at)gmail.com