South China Morning Post marks 100 days of covering the coronavirus pandemic

The first of our reports on ‘mystery illness’ in Wuhan was published on December 31, 2019
The Post has chronicled how Covid-19 has profoundly changed the world, uncovering crucial truths about the new coronavirus and its spread

Coronavirus pandemic

Tammy Tam

Published: 12:00pm, 8 Apr 2020

Why you can trust SCMP

Dear reader,

A hundred days ago, a team of SCMP journalists wrote the first of many reports on a “mystery illness” spreading rapidly in Wuhan, China. We were one of the first English-language publications to break the story on December 31, 2019, the same day that Chinese officials first reported cases of the novel coronavirus to the World Health Organisation.

Since that day, the Post has been chronicling in detail – now on a dedicated microsite – how the Covid-19 pandemic has profoundly changed and disrupted the world.

Our newsroom has not been spared either; SCMP’s global employees have been operating from home since an editorial colleague tested positive for the virus. But even while our journalists do not have the freedom of movement, we continue to exercise our press freedoms to inform readers around the world. We are even producing our daily print edition from home for the very first time in SCMP’s 116 years of operation.

We have dedicated our newsroom resources – in our home city of Hong Kong and across mainland China, Asia, Europe and the United States – to the comprehensive reporting needed in this moment of crisis. Our experience reporting on the Sars epidemic 17 years ago has helped inform the depth and intelligence of our Covid-19 coverage, as well as the deployment and safety of our journalists. Since that first story in December, SCMP has uncovered many crucial truths about the virus and its spread, elevating thought and understanding among our readers around the globe.

These stories include:

an exclusive on how China’s first recorded case of Covid-19 was traced as far back as November 17
a scoop from classified Chinese data that revealed that one-third of coronavirus cases may be “silent carriers”, and a follow-up story on China’s reversal of policies that previously excluded asymptomatic cases from official numbers
an early explainer using the World Health Organisation’s prediction in 2018 about “Disease X’s” arrival to provide insight on how Covid-19 hit Wuhan
China’s mask-making dominance and its potential to spark a new geopolitical storm because of the world’s over-reliance on Chinese manufacturing
an inside look during Wuhan’s lockdown, as well as this week’s coverage of the city’s cautious approach to the end of its containment

The Post’s reporting on Covid-19 continues to evolve. Our microsite offers a daily rundown of essential stories, including explainers, infographics and FAQs; you can also sign up for more updates delivered right to your inbox here.

Over the last month, we have also shared our insights via several live global events. Our CEO Gary Liu provided an overview on China’s response to the coronavirus with TED and the Aspen Institute, and our editorial team co-produced Facebook’s “Covid Frontline”, a cross-newsroom collaboration with Australia’s 7NEWS and The Straits Times in Singapore. This special programme sheds light on the global coronavirus battle through frontline reporting and interviews with prominent medical experts, including a WHO adviser and a pre-eminent Covid-19 researcher.

I am immensely proud of the way our newsroom has pursued this coverage with courage and conviction. The SCMP team has worked tirelessly to present nuanced and objective reporting that, we hope, will inform the decisions and breakthroughs that the world now desperately needs.

And finally, thank you for being a loyal reader of the South China Morning Post. From all of us here at the Post, we hope you stay safe, healthy and informed.

Tammy Tam

Editor-in-Chief

SCMP

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