Born in Hong Kong, Nicole Tam moved to Hawaiʻi in 2007. As a child during the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong, Nicole recalls daily temperature checks and living through the fear of an unknown virus. A graduate of UH Mānoa, Nicole was working as a reporter for KITV Island News when the pandemic first started. She reflects on covering COVID19, sifting through information, and the challenges of working as a reporter during the early stages of the pandemic.
Interview Details
Narrator: Nicole Tam (NT)
Interviewer: Micah Mizukami (MM)
Recording Date: 5/18/2020
Format: Zoom video
Location: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
Key Words: Broadcast journalism, Hong Kong, SARS, travel
Interview Transcript
MM: Thank you again for joining me today, Nicole. Today is May 18th, 2020, and then we’re doing an oral history interview with you. So would you mind telling me your name?
NT: Yes, my name is Nicole Tam. N-I-C-O-L-E, last name T-A-M.
MM: So I guess to start the interview, maybe I wanted to go over a little bit of your background information. So can you start by describing your family?
NT: Okay. I live with my mom and dad. We moved here to Honolulu from Hong Kong in 2007, and I still live with them.
MM: And then, so you mentioned Hong Kong. Do you have any vivid memories of growing up in Hong Kong?
NT: Yeah. I mean, I remember like, we lived in an apartment cause most people do there cause housing is even more challenging than it is here. I remember going to school there for sure. I went to an all-girls school that was a Catholic school. So I just remember, like my classmates, some of them I still keep in touch with. But as far as vivid memories, I would say not exactly, because they’re more like little tidbits of things that happened while I lived there. But actually, surprisingly, when I go back now, it’s more I remember more of those, obviously, because I’m older and I get to actually do those experiences, whatever we’re doing and stuff like I did as a child from your parents. Yeah, so it’s definitely interesting.
MM: And what did you do for fun as a kid growing up in Hong Kong?
NT: I watched TV, like Hong Kong cartoons.
MM: Okay.
NT: And that was pretty much it, because my parents were always at work And of course, school.
MM: I guess moving on to that move. So what year was that again?
NT: That was in ‘07.
MM: Okay. And then how did you feel about moving?
NT: I don’t remember. I remember my classmates didn’t believe me at first because I said, “I’m moving to Hawaiʻi.”
And they’re like, “No, you’re not.”
Like, because I talked about it for a while, I knew about it. And then nobody believed me. And then one day I’m like, “It’s my last day, bye!” And then suddenly everyone really started to believe that I was moving.
But aside from that, I don’t remember much from the move itself. I went to school here and started having to adapt to the American culture, that nobody understood what I was saying. I was still—my English was very bad in the beginning, I would say. It took a while to adjust. But yeah, it was interesting for sure.
MM: Well, what were your first impressions of Hawaiʻi?
NT: I thought it was really pretty. I thought “Okay, everything is still small, but still bigger than what my house looked like in Hong Kong.” So definitely a lot more spacious, people were really nice, and yeah, just a different vibe I guess than hustling and bustling in a city like Hong Kong.
MM: And why did you move?
NT: My parents wanted me to have a better education in the States. So they tried out Hawaiʻi, because it’s more safe than other cities in the US. So, yeah.
MM: Okay, did you have any relatives here?
NT: No, it’s still just us three.
MM: Oh wow. And so I think around the time when you were probably growing up in Hong Kong, I think the SARS outbreak was happening. Do you have any memory of that or have you ever talked to your parents about. . .
NT: Actually, I have one memory. I have one memory of that, is that for a while, every day before we went to school we had to record our temperature. And after recording it, you have to log it in this little book. So the school has a record of your temperature everyday to make sure you’re not sick.
MM: Oh, wow.
NT: Yeah, so that’s the one thing I remember from SARS. And I think the reason why I’m not so afraid of this pandemic is because I kind of went through SARS, even though I don’t remember much of it. I mean, I’m okay. I survived. A lot of people died from that too, over there. And the mask thinking has been going on since as long as I can remember. So it’s nothing new to me, but obviously still scary, just that I’m kind of used to it in a sense where I know what to expect. So it’s interesting.
MM: Yeah, that’s an interesting system. So did you check your temperature at home?
NT: Yeah, so before the school day—well this is what back when I was a student in Hong Kong—my mom would do the temperature check. I think it was the little meter thing you stick on your tongue. Yeah, she would do that every morning before school and then we would log it and then off I go. I’m fine.
MM: Oh, wow, that’s cool. And then you have to report it to the teacher or…?
NT: Yes, so the homeroom teacher checks your little log to make sure you actually logged your temperature. I don’t remember if we didn’t log about what happens, but I remember at least my mother always did it for me.
MM: Okay, so that’s a very interesting system. (Laughs) I guess it keeps the school running, yeah?
NT: Yeah, I kind of wish they did that here.
MM: So where did you go to school here?
NT: What, like elementary school?
MM: Yeah. Yeah.
NT: Oh, I went to Hahaʻione Elementary in Hawaiʻi Kai. So all of my schooling before university was in the east Honolulu area.
MM: And then you also mentioned earlier kind of struggling with English, so how was school when you first came?
NT: It was interesting, there were these girls who would be really nice on the first day and I thought, “Oh people here are so friendly! I have friends already.” And then the next day I thought we were friends—this is like the second day of elementary school in the US—and they completely ignored me. So at first I was like, so heartbroken because I’m like, “Why are these people nice one day and then suddenly mean?” And then eventually, as I start to learn more English, they put me in some English learning program. I think it’s ESL. But after, like a couple of years, I started to really adapt and find like my own group of friends. Of course, like I said, I still had broken English sometimes and words that I don’t understand, but definitely was more comfortable as time went. But elementary school was weird because I was there in like fourth grade. So everybody already knew each other, and I was the foreigner who like didn’t know anything. So definitely a little challenging the first couple of years. But then I remember as time went on, it was, it gets easier every day, so.
MM: So can you tell me what you do for a living?
NT: So I’m a journalist, I’m a TV news reporter for KITV. That means I just go out every day and I talk to different people about whatever is happening that day or I’m exploring. And at the end of the day, you see the product on TV at night.
MM: That must look really different in the age of COVID-19. Like the typical workday now, right?
NT: Yeah so actually, a lot of my colleagues started to work from home. So if you’ve been watching any kind of news channel, you’ve seen people sitting in their living rooms or their rooms during the newscast. So it’s kind of a new normal, I’m fortunate enough where I can still go to the office and work there because it’s just a little easier for me. But yeah, definitely a lot more cautious. People have masks on every day at work. Especially when you’re out in the field, you’re also required by law to wear a covering. So that’s the biggest change, I think.
MM: How, how is it like reporting with a mask on?
NT: Actually, it’s so weird because you can’t—you’re already, sometimes you’re already stumbling—or not stumbling—but your voice needs to be projected at a certain volume. And so imagine with the face covering, you’re kind of like muffling the whole time, so just kind of like covering your mouth like this, so it’s interesting. But definitely got some taking used to because you just have to always be covered, and just try to project as clearly as you can.
MM: Yeah, wow. (Laughs) That sounds tough, but I, I want to get more towards your reporting stuff a little bit later in the interview. So I just I guess going back towards like the COVID-19 in general, when did you first start hearing about it?
NT: I actually reported on it. Let’s see, I did one of the first stories, I believe on COVID-19 and everyone’s like, “Oh, coronavirus, who cares about Coronavirus? Let’s like move on to something else.”
I’m like, “No, this is like something we need to pay attention to. People are like getting sick in China.” And then I think maybe mid-February or late January, it was pretty early on where I started reporting on it.
MM: And what was your source of information for that? Where did you hear it from?
NT: I think I read it on CNN first that these numbers are going up in China. And I thought, “Okay, we have so many visitors from all over the world, we have to have at least conscious of it or someone may or already be affected here.”
So I just did—my first story on Coronavirus I remember was just “What is Coronavirus? What are the symptoms? You know, the usual. This new thing pops up. Tell us about it.”
And then this other group of people, I think they’re from Maryknoll—Maryknoll School—had some students from Wuhan here in Hawaiʻi, so that was a big story because they are from where the Coronavirus is believed to be started. And then I think it started, everyone started to really pick up and find out that it’s actually a serious disease that’s affecting a lot of people across the world, and then just slowly evolved to how it is today.
MM: Yeah, how about in your family? How has that, I guess, news affected maybe your parents?
NT: Yeah. Well, they lived in Hong Kong longer than I did, so they actually lived through SARS. So, of course they’re like, “Oh, just another new disease.” That’s scary, but it doesn’t stop their daily life.
MM: (Laughs) They’re like, “We’ve been through that”. . .
NT: We still traveled, actually.
MM: What?
NT: Yeah, we still traveled when it was first announced. So we went to like Tokyo late February, kind of in the middle of the pandemic—well not pandemic. It was just still a crisis, I guess. Yeah. So, I mean, it didn’t stop us from doing anything.
MM: What was that like?
NT: What? Traveling?
MM: Being in Tokyo, while that was kind of starting up?
NT: My colleagues and I joke about it now. That was the perfect time to travel there, because the States didn’t have any restrictions yet. People were still cautious but the numbers weren’t so bad worldwide where it’s like New York. So it was interesting because everybody had a mask on, but a lot of people in Asia usually wear a mask anyway, so it’s nothing weird. We were the weird ones because we didn’t wear masks, but yeah, it was interesting. Everything was still open. It was a great time. It’s so clean there. I honestly didn’t feel worried that I was going to get sick.
MM: Wow.
NT: So, yeah, my parents stayed for another week and then I actually went to Washington State where it was one of the worst at that time. So it’s like, “Okay, we’re good!”
(Laughter)
MM: I’m glad you guys didn’t catch it in your travels.
NT: I mean, you know, jokes on the side, we totally might have been asymptomatic, but I mean we checked our temperatures every day after coming back for a couple of weeks. So it seems like we’re okay. Yeah.
MM: So are there any aspects of it that concern you or your parents about COVID-19, especially for Hawaiʻi?
NT: Well, actually, it’s an interesting story I experienced a little like racism when I was in Washington State. I flew there alone, and I flew to the middle of Washington.
RECORDING INTERRUPTED
NT: Could you hear that?
MM: I’m sorry, it’s kind of going in and out. Could you start that over? (Laughs)
NT: Yeah sure. Okay, so I flew to Washington, Central Washington alone. There was a flight that was like 20 minutes from Seattle to Yakima. There was. . . .
RECORDING INTERRUPTED
NT: . . .our own row. And she [the flight attendant] said, “Oh, you know, you should feel safe here because at least you’re not bringing the virus with you.” Like she looked at me when she said that and I was the only Asian person there, so I felt kind of offended because she thinks I have a virus.
MM: Oh my God.
NT: So it was a little interesting. Living in Hawaiʻi, I’ve never had to experience anything like this. Like, no one is really racist towards Asians here specifically. So hearing that, I literally didn’t know what to say. I just looked at her.
MM: So why, why did she say that again? Sorry, it kind of cut off at the beginning, I think.
NT: Oh, I’m sorry. No, there was no reason. It was just because the plane only had like eight to ten people, including myself, and we each had our own row. So as she was checking the cabin before takeoff, she just started talking to people. It’s like, “Oh, it’s like you have your own private jet and at least the virus is not spreading.” And then she looks at me and I’m like. . .
MM: Ooh.
NT: . . . “I’m sorry.”
MM: And you were the only Asian on the plane?
NT: Yeah
MM: It’s okay now. But yeah, that’s a very different experience than something you typically, like, experience here. I don’t think you would—that would happen here, right?
NT: Yes.
MM: So you mentioned that like your family is like “We’ve lived through this.” And like they’re taking cautions—precautions—but they’re not super worried. But has it affected, like, your daily habits in any other ways?
NT: No. The only challenge is, actually, so my boyfriend lives in Washington State and because of these travel restrictions, I don’t know when I can see him again. So it’s not part of my daily life, but definitely something that’s affected me because, I mean, until this is over, I don’t really know when I can see him again. But as far as daily life, no, I don’t think so.
MM: And then I guess since you live with your parents, how—and I guess you’re still working in the, you’re still going out, reporting, going into the office, so you’re not at home all the time. But are your parents still working?
NT: No. So my dad is retired, so he stays at home as much as he wants to.
MM: (Laughs)
NT: And my mother works at an eye doctor’s office, so she actually just went back to work ‘cause they just reopened. So she goes out too. So, yeah, she works. And then we all hang out on the weekend when we are all off.
MM: Oh, that’s nice. (Laughs) What do you do together as a family?
NT: We just—I mean right now everything’s closed. But we used to go out every weekend for dinner, every Saturday or Sunday. But now we just kind of do dinner at home. We get takeout. And, of course, happy hour at five o’clock.
MM: (Laughs) You mix your own cocktails?
NT: We mix our cocktails. We wish we could just order from the bar, but now it’s kind of like you’re your own mixologist, right?
MM: That sounds fun. (Laughs) Let’s see. . . . So you mentioned that you’re still in touch with some of your friends in Hong Kong. Has it—COVID—affected any of them?
NT: None of them got sick from my knowledge, but they’ve always been very cautious, and, you know, wearing a mask, and being vigilant of where you’re touching. So as far as I know, I don’t think it has really dramatically affected them.
MM: Okay. And do you have relatives still in Hong Kong?
NT: Yeah. So some of them are on the older end, and even they are just like, you know, everyone else, just wearing a mask, going out less, but still you just family gatherings at home. And I’m not sure if restaurants are still open, but I believe so. So it seems like they’re all just living normally.
MM: Okay.
NT: Yeah.
MM: And then so how about for, I guess, recreation? What have you been doing besides, like, hanging out with your family at home?
NT: So my gym closed, so I have to use the gym inside my house upstairs. We have a gym room that my dad created, but it only has like a treadmill, rower, and a bike. I usually do the elliptical, so having to readjust to the workout has been interesting. So that’s usually what I do on the weekend. Because I’m working so much, I usually just hang out and do nothing as recreation.
(Laughter)
NT: But I guess exercising because that it keeps you fit and it feels good to sweat.
MM: So, how about in your community? Have you noticed, like since all of these, like, stay at home, work from home orders, like, has it been quieter? Has it been louder?
NT: It’s been quiter definitely. Like, I can drive to work in 10 minutes instead of 20 you know with no traffic at all times of day. But specific communities, since I live in a building, we have 38 floors, so plenty of neighbors around.
MM: Has there been any like. I don’t know if policy is the right word, but like from the building itself. Like have people like said like you need to wear a mask while in elevators and stuff. Has there been any changes like that?
NT: I think there is, there’s policies in place, but they’re not truly enforced, but more like suggestions. So there’s like notices on inside the elevator outside and common areas just to say “limited to two people in the elevator” or if “you’re in the same household”, just have one family per elevator. They also put this “strongly encouraging you to wear a mask” and “social distance in the lobby” and “avoid talking in the elevator”. And just those little things that to remind people to keep their social distance just in case someone is infected in the building. Yeah.
MM: How about, I guess, and besides behaviors, have you seen people changing their opinions about it?
NT: About COVID?
MM: Yeah.
NT: What do you mean?
MM: Are there perceptions? Opinions? I know it’s been getting very politicized, so have people been like on one side and then switching over to the other because of like staying at home for so long.
INTERVIEW INTERRUPTED
NT: Yeah, so where were we?
MM: So I guess changing opinions?
NT: Okay, so in the beginning, my friends either were really worried about the virus or not worried at all. And so they kind of stuck with the same thoughts or just opinions throughout the whole thing. Some of them refused to go out and just don’t want to, while others actually want to have a party inside the house just so we can have some sort of social gathering. So definitely interesting to see the spectrum of worries between my own group of friends.
MM: Yeah. How do you balance that? Such extremes.
NT: Well, they wanted to a party then maybe we’ll go out to a park or in the car, just sit across from each other and then do our own thing. But it just really depends on how they feel. Yeah, but you’ve got to just adapt and respect that, you can’t force your friend who doesn’t want to go to go out. Right?
MM: Yeah, yeah.
NT: But now that the malls and beaches are re-opening we can at least do that, right? So that’s good.
MM: And then let’s see. So do you know anyone who’s gotten sick from COVID-19 personally?
NT: No, but I did interview someone who recovered. Someone I didn’t know. So, yeah, it’s interesting.
MM: And then how do you think it’s affecting people’s, like, mental health? Like, how are you staying, I guess positive and productive during this time?
NT: Mental health, I think we’ve touched on that too, definitely people who are stuck at home are losing their jobs are mentally distraught because they don’t know how to fix it. So I personally have not had those issues because I’m fortunate enough to still have a job and go to work every day. In my daily life, honestly, has not changed drastically aside from not being able to go outside for dinner or something first world problem-ish. It’s been very normal, so just kind of adapting to work changes and just living pretty much the same.
MM: So then I guess going back towards your job and talking about your experiences, interviewing, like that COVID patient, can you tell me about that experience?
NT: What was it like?
MM: Yeah.
INTERVIEW INTERRUPTED
MM: Sorry, it’s cutting out again.
NT: Let’s, see. I know it’s so annoying. Sorry. You wanted to know what it was like interviewing the guy with COVID?
MM: Yeah. Yeah. And then how did it, like, how did you I guess set up that—arrange—that interview?
NT: Yeah. So actually, a friend of mine told me that his friend’s uncle caught COVID, you know such a Hawaiʻi things right? So of course, as a journalist, you go to verify if he was indeed sick. So I called up this guy after this guy gave me his number, and then I listened to him on the phone and he kept talking, and I was like, “How old are you?”
And he goes, “I’m 84.” So I was like, oh my God, this 84 year old got COVID.
So he was nice enough where he agreed to do an interview in person. So we set up something, and I went to his house in ʻAiea and he was really friendly. And honestly, I was a little worried, because even though he recovered, he could still have bits of the virus, right? So as like a terrible, stereotypical person, I tried to just keep my distance, but still respectfully try and ask the questions. So, I mean, he was such a nice guy, like funny old guy. And he knows he’s old. So he very candid about his experience. He was stuck in Japan with his wife, who also got Coronavirus, and he was asymptomatic, so he actually didn’t know he was sick. And he was in three different hospitals in California for almost a month and a half, I think, or a month. So just him talking about his entire ordeal was interesting because it’s like, wow, these are what people have to go through.
MM: Wow. So was he one of those people on that cruise ship?
NT: Yes, he was on the Diamond Princess. The actual Diamond Princess cruise ship that was stuck there in Yokohama.
MM: How about, like, your other interviews and your other reporting? How are social distancing measures and having to wear a mask affecting your work?
NT: Not really anything, cause people kind of got used to it by now and the social distance thing. Actually, it’s hard because the viewers would actually call in and say, “Hey, your reporter was not social distancing.” So we actually have to be extra cautious of how we stand or how we interact. We have to be more mindful that we really need to keep that distance. And I mean, visually looks weird because you’re so far apart and your camera probably wants to zoom in on something, but I mean just to get the visual of it, it’s something that you just have to get used to.
MM: And then you’re doing like a day in the life of an essential worker series. How do you socially distance when you’re following these essential workers?
NT: Yeah. So I mean, definitely in the car you can’t, but when you’re interviewing or following them around, you should try your best to stay apart. And I feel personally better because I have a mask on, so even if we’re not totally far apart, if we’re outside, I feel safe enough where I could stand close enough, where it breaks the rules, but it’s comfortable. (Laughs)
MM: So then when all of these callers call in, like, how do you respond to that? (Laughs)
NT: I mean, we definitely take into consideration, because how can we tell people to socially distance if we ourselves are not. So it’s not that we brush it off and say, “Oh, they’re just being annoying,” because it is true, they make a valid point: “You as journalists should set an example for the public to stand physically apart.”
MM: Yeah. So has this changed, maybe some of what’s acceptable to show on TV, like in terms of like, I don’t know, like how you set up the interviews, like, are there new standards for what’s okay to be aired?
NT: Yeah, so definitely that six feet apart thing if you’re getting a shot. . .
INTERVIEW INTERRUPTED
NT: But as far as the interviews, sometimes we have this pole where you put the mic on and you hold it, so you’re six feet apart, so you’re far from the person but you can still hear them. Or sometimes we’d set up a podium and just stand far away. But other than that, everything feels the same.
MM: Have those been pretty big adjustments. Or are you used to using those things?
NT: I’m used to it. Also there’s different types of microphones, so you have choices.
INTERVIEW INTERRUPTED
NT: It really depends what you’re doing.
MM: So can you tell me how you got your idea for that day in the life of an essential worker series?
NT: How did I think of it?
MM: Yeah.
NT: How did I think of that? I think, like I thought of all these random essential businesses one day and I’m like, “Wouldn’t it be cool if I just followed them and tried out new careers? Because I can actually be a part of it and try to do what they do.” So that’s just how it was. And somehow people were willing, and so I ended up doing at least like five or six of those stories and they were all really fun on its own.
MM: What was the most challenging of those to do?
NT: I followed the paramedics around for 12 hours. That was the longest piece I’ve ever done. It was tough because it was: one, 12-hours; two, they deal with people who might actually be sick, so keeping that distance even more conscious of it, so I don’t potentially get infected. That was interesting. But just seeing them respond to emergencies was interesting. Yeah.
MM: What was the most interesting aspect of that?
NT: It’s how fast they can drive.
MM: (Laughs)
NT: Because everyone says they have the sirens, right? We actually went on a call, so we were just zooming through lights you can see people like pulling over for them, and it was pretty interesting from the other side ‘cause usually we’re the ones that are pulling over, right? But getting to see it in real life was interesting. I mean, it’s nothing crazy, but I just thought it was the most interesting thing from that experience.
MM: Yeah, wow.
NT: Yeah.
MM: I watched that segment and then one of the workers you interviewed, she got really emotional because I think she talked about not being able to see her son. So how do you how do you handle, like, all of those emotions? Those really raw feelings?
NT: I actually asked her when she was crying, like, “Do you want to stop? Like, we can take a break.” Because as much as that’s good TV, you also want to be human and try and understand emotions and just respecting people.
MM: Yeah.
MM: And then I think at the end of that segment, the news anchors said that the last patient tested positive for COVID. How did you react to that news? When did you hear that?
NT: It was so funny because, of course, it was the last patient who tested positive, right? Like, the whole day was fine until the last one. I wasn’t worried. I knew I’d stayed far apart enough where I wouldn’t get infected. They made sure that I was safe enough where I would get in the ambulance. So I was always far apart from patients. I wasn’t worried it was just funny to me personally, because, of course, the last one got infected, right?
MM: (Laughs) And then how was watching them work? With the patients, especially considering that some of these people might have COVID?
NT: Oh, my God. We went on one rescue where a guy, like, broke a lot of, like, bones and limbs ‘cause he fell down, I think, Mānoa Falls or something. And just like, I hate blood. Like, I don’t even like my own blood. But just hearing him, like, scream in pain. And it’s something that they deal with everyday. I’m sure there’s worse symptoms or people that they’ve seen. But just hearing him be in so much pain, that made me uncomfortable. It was just like, “Oh, my God, do something. Let’s help him.” Yeah. I give them a lot of props. Actually the E.M.S. experience, if I were to do another career, I would do that. Of all the things I shadowed throughout my day in the life experience, I think I would do that.
MM: As like another, like, if you were to pick another career?
NT: If I ever, if I had to. Yeah, if I had to pick another career from all the careers I tried throughout this experience, I think it would be that. I feel like they’re truly the heroes in our community. I mean, they gotta put up with all kinds of stuff on the road.
MM: You also followed firefighters, right?
NT: Yes.
MM: How was that?
NT: When they’re all on a case, they’re completely different people. They’re totally focused, talking about strategic plans or whatever they need to do. So definitely a different experience.
MM: Did you get to ride on the—in their—vehicle too?
NT: I couldn’t because of the social distancing thing. So, which is totally a bummer, but they let me sit inside for a few minutes and I got to mount cameras inside. So it was cool to just feel like, “Wow, this is what it would feel like if I was a firefighter.”
MM: That’s cool. (Laughs) Let’s see. You also reported on the protests that happened at the capitol.
NT: Yes, I did.
MM: What was that like?
NT: Well, as a journalist, we can’t have opinions. So, I mean, it’s looking at people and telling the facts and what people say. So it was interesting.
MM: (Laughs) Was it, was it—did you have any troubles like social distancing?
NT: I mean, it was really interesting because they were not social distancing. That was their whole point, I mean, reopen the islands and just stand apart. But for clarification, I actually didn’t shoot the protests, my colleague did before me. So I just wrote it and reported on it. So I didn’t have to physically go there.
MM: Oh, okay.
NT: Listening to the interview, it’s like, “Okay, this is what they feel.” And then reporting that on the air factually and fairly. That’s always a part of the day.
MM: How about, like, your colleagues working the cameras? Like even for that one, the protest, but also like following you for the day in the life stuff too. How are they managing?
NT: Yeah, actually, I shoot most of my stories, I usually work alone. So when I do have another person with me, we kind of just follow along and do whatever we need. But just like how we report the news, we try to stay neutral and just, whatever people tell us, we’re just like, “Okay, that’s how you feel.” And unless it’s something factually wrong or something we want to challenge, we wouldn’t really say anything to counter argue with them because it’s their opinion. You can’t say someone’s opinion is wrong. It’s their opinion. Maybe it’s not right to you, but it’s their opinion. So you kind of just use that and write to it. Yeah.
MM: So what has been like one of the most challenging pieces to write about COVID for you?
NT: I haven’t really had any challenges, because every story, as long as you have the facts and you have what you need, it shouldn’t be a challenge because you get a chance to ask whatever you want, so it shouldn’t be a challenge.
MM: Yeah. How do you find those stories?
NT: Oh, okay.
MM: How do you get inspiration?
NT: Yeah, sometimes it’s being curious, just that I’m curious about this. Like, for example, that call I just got is from a plexi-glass company, so they make plastic. So I figured since a lot of retailers are reopening, I wonder if their business has gone up. And sure enough, they’re so busy they only take messages now. So they call you back when they have time, and so that’s good. That’s kind of just random curiosity. Other times, we use social media or people would send in story ideas, or sometimes organizations would send in press releases to invite you to do stories. So there’s really a lot of ways to find different issues to cover in the community. And plus, O’ahu and the state is so big, there’s always gonna be something on the agenda, unless the day is so slow, then you have to really use your brain and think of what stories you want to cover.
MM: Yeah, I’m sure there’s so much you can cover right now with COVID.
NT: Even this could be a story, like you interviewing people about their life during COVID. Anything could be a story, it just depends on what the purpose is.
MM: Can you tell me about the process of getting your stories or like this series approved? How does that work? I don’t know like what it looks like in the newsroom.
NT: So every morning at 10 o’clock, we have a news team meeting. We talk about ideas we have for the day, and what we want to do for the day. And so stories — like just throw out random ideas. So one day I was like, “Hey, I want to do this day in the life thing. I have this set up.” And then we just started doing it, and I let them know when I have a new career set up and just go do it. But sometimes they assign you to do something if we’re short on staff and something needs to be covered, then that’s your story of the day. A lot of times it also takes a lot of research and setting up before we actually go to it. So a lot of phone calls, emails, communicating, researching, and then going out there and being on the streets and actually doing it. Yeah.
MM: Have there been other, like, day in the life that you wanted to do, but they’ve turned you down?
NT: One is the lab, like a lab testing, so they take in samples and test it. So they take in COVID samples and test it to see if it’s positive or negative. That one, they weren’t not willing, we just couldn’t find a time that works for both of us.
MM: Ok, so I’ll try and wrap up. So, as a journalist, like, what’s your primary news sources?
NT: What do you mean? Like who do I. . .
MM: Like where do you like personally like read the news and get your information from?
NT: I mean I watch all the three local news channels just to compare coverage every day. I like to watch CNN and read, but just so I can diversify my sources. I just have all these different news outlets on the Apple News. And then whatever I see interesting, I just click on and read. And of course, social media, a lot of people reposting stuff and yeah, just try to diversify as much as possible.
MM: Yeah. In the past, I guess couple years, social media has become like another huge, like news source for a lot of people. So how—have you been doing more with social media to get the news out?
NT: Yes, so we’re required to be on social media for work, just to post stuff. So that’s interesting, ‘cause you want to be first, but also accurate. So being able to diversify your platforms and build them, it’s also interesting. But as far as news, I mean, you know, there’s also some big news on the Internet I’m sure you noticed. So like seeing some of my friends re-posting fake stuff, it’s like, “Oh my God, you know it’s fake, right?” So just kind of separating that, too, and verifying stuff.
MM: Yeah. Do you like, tell your friends, like if they were posting fake news, like, “Hey that’s fake.”
NT: It depends how close I am with them, ‘cause you do want to be that person that’s going to be like, “Oh you’re posting fake stuff.” So you kind of just look at it, if you think it’s fake then move on. Yeah. But it’s interesting what people look at out there.
MM: So how do you, like, verify your sources?
NT: I mean, you click on the article. If I look at it and it doesn’t look right, I would Google maybe the topic and find other news articles on it to really see if that point was real. But unless I’m really skeptical about it, I kind of just read and absorb, especially if it’s like a notable organization like New York Times or CNN or just other notable sources.
MM: Do you find yourself having to be more careful with COVID news and fake news? Or is it pretty much the same?
NT: It it’s pretty much the same because we get news releases from government officials ourselves, so you kind of have an idea of facts that’s related to the virus, yeah.
MM: Yeah, that makes sense. So I guess living on an island, what do you think are like the positives or some of the negatives, like being in Hawaiʻi during this pandemic?
NT: Actually, I’m really surprised by how people are responding to the virus. A lot of people really are staying off the streets if they don’t need to be outside. They are wearing their face coverings in public if they need to. And surprisingly, when the beaches opened up, a lot of people were social distancing. So it seems like people really want to battle this thing and we’re in it together, where it’s uniformed enough, where people are listening to these recommendations and requirements to really try to get rid of the virus.
The negative thing is that people started hoarding.
(Laughter)
MM: And then, let’s see. . . . How about, like, have you become more aware of our island resources as a result of COVID?
NT: We actually have plenty of resources, as much as we’re an island and there is a shortage of stuff, it replenishes pretty quickly. So I’m not worried about not having enough. And plus, we have Amazon, so…
MM: (Laughs) Have you covered like farmers in your reporting?
NT: Yes, I visited a farm one time, and I think I did another story with like a farmers’ program. So it surprisingly seems like they’re not effected as much because there’s so many ways for them to sell their produce, but I think it’s the ones that sell to hotels or big chains are really affected. So maybe I wasn’t talking to the right crowd, but. . .
INTERVIEW INTERRUPTED
MM: Sorry the very end cut off. (Laughs)
NT: Oh, I just thought that it seems like the small local farmers are doing okay because there’s so many ways for them to sell their products, yeah.
MM: Do you have any friends who are like entrepreneurs, small business owners that have been affected?
NT: Yeah I mean, I have some friends who work at the restaurants I go to who have been on unemployment, and some of them have called and said, “Hey, I can’t get my check, what can we do?” So I think sometimes we even have viewers who e-mail or call and say, “Hey, we really can’t figure this out, can you help us?” And sadly, we can help you, but we just we can’t physically help you. We can call and ask your questions, but we don’t have power to fix these things for you. So it just feel sad sometimes that we can’t help as much as we want. Yeah.
MM: So what do you think your role is as a reporter in this time? Like how do you, how do you see your role, like as essential, or like I don’t I don’t know. I don’t know what my question is really.
NT: Okay. I guess definitely essential ‘cause we’re still going to work and we never had to be out of work, so the media and informing people is an essential business. But for me personally, I feel like it’s an honor that people rely on me to let them know what’s happening.
MM: Yeah. Well, thank you for the work you do for us, for the community here in Hawaiʻi. Your reporting has been great. I really enjoyed watching those segments. Just stay safe and look forward to seeing what other stories you do.
NT: Let me know if you need anything else. Always happy for follow ups.
MM: Yeah. Thank you.