Laurel Chor

I went to the memorial site for the tragic Tai Po fire tonight and was so touched by all the small acts of kindness and thoughtfulness that really exemplify the Hong Kong spirit to me. #taipo #大埔 #hongkong

I took this photo on Saturday. I saw an older woman, walking with the help of a cane, furiously screaming at the riot police as they advanced to clear tens of thousands of protesters in Yuen Long. She had no fear, even as she was swallowed up by the ranks of marching police. A friend and fellow journalist tweeted a video of her; I posted my photo in response without thinking too much about it. It’s now been shared widely and I’m taken aback at how many people it’s touched. As a journalist, all you can hope to do is tell stories that are bigger than yourself. I hope I’ve done that here. Shot for @gettyimages .

I often get asked how one travels to Ukraine. I just got to Kyiv two days ago so I thought I’d make a video showing how I traveled here all the way from Hong Kong.

Exciting news! 🦦⭐️ I Associate Produced an episode of a YouTube series called Possible Worlds, and it’s officially out! Link in my bio (and on my story) to check it out! 🌊 🍂 For this project, we focus on the decline of kelp forests on the west coast, and solutions to bring these vital ecosystems back. Restoring populations of two essential keystone predators of the purple sea urchin is at the forefront of these efforts. 🦦 Who is this dynamic duo of keystone predators, you ask? The sea otter and the sunflower sea star! We explore trophic cascades, widespread urchin barrens, cultural connection to the natural world, and human intervention in nature to tell this story. 🌎 So many incredible scientists, journalists, indigenous groups, and naturalists have poured into this project and the fight to restore kelp forests, and there is so much hope for future recovery! ⭐️ Go give it a watch at the link in my bio! • • • • • #urchinbarren #seaurchin #kelpforest #seaotter #sunflowerseastar

For Ep. 7 of @allmyfriendshaveadhd , I had so much fun diving in to the brain of someone I admire and whom I’ve had the great pleasure of calling a friend for a long time: @cesarharada1 . Cesar is one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever come across. He’s a French-Japanese designer, environmentalist, educator, entrepreneur and TED Senior Fellow specializing in ocean technology and impact innovation. In the past, he’s designed autonomous sailing robots to clean up the BP oil spill and to map radioactivity in Fukushima, founded Hong Kong’s premier makerspace (@makerbay.hk ), and built a floating oyster farm / solar hydrogen production plant. He’s also one of the kindest, most passionate people I know. He’s actually never been diagnosed with ADHD, but as an adult he was diagnosed with dyslexia and dyspraxia, which are both common in people with ADHD. I am very grateful to hear him speak about his journey and I hope you’ll enjoy it too. Recorded in Paris on May 31, 2025. Listen to the latest episode wherever you find your podcasts or watch on YouTube. Links in bio.

Spoiler alert: @lindsayjang did indeed have an extremely successful career, despite getting diagnosed with ADHD in her 40s — after her own teenage daughter Lili was diagnosed at 14. For the latest episode of @allmyfriendshaveADHD , it was such a pleasure to sit down with this formidable mom-and-daughter pair. Lindsay is the brain behind the hip, iconic Hong Kong eatery @yardbirdyakitori and other F&B/wellness/media brands like @alwaysjoy148 @family_form & @hecho_made . Lili was just 17 at the time of recording and is still in school, but she has more self-awareness and maturity than any of my peers when I was her age. The kids are alright. Thank you @aplanting for hosting us at @eaton.hk , and thank you @patrik_wallner of @p.o.s.t.c.a.r.d for shooting this. Listen wherever you listen to podcasts and watch on YouTube. Links in bio. Recorded in Hong Kong on May 7, 2025.

For the latest episode of @allmyfriendshaveadhd , I absolutely loved talking to Mary HK Choi, a New York Times bestselling author who was diagnosed with both autism and ADHD in her 40s. Her second book Permanent Record is being adapted for a feature film, while her third book Yolk will become a TV series. Mary is an executive producer and writer for both, because her talents are endless. I have admired @choitotheworld since working together for VICE News Tonight on HBO (and especially after finding out she also grew up in Hong Kong!). I was a producer, and she was a culture correspondent. We got to work on a very memorable piece together, about a Chinese “boy band” that was made up of all young women. On this episode, we talked about making deadlines, learning to say no, and ADHD burn-out and/or autism melt-downs. You absolutely need to go read her viral essay for @thecut about her autism diagnosis (and any and all of her other work). Her fourth book, Pool House, is available for pre-order now! Find the episode wherever you listen to podcasts. Video version is also up on YouTube. Links in bio (including to pre-order Pool House, to her @thecut essay, and to the @vicenews piece on the Chinese boy band). Episode recorded in NYC on April 30, 2025.

I never thought a cafe could mean so much to me, but Kyiv’s Honey Cafe does. By simply existing and continuing to serve delectable edible works of art, it’s given me a place to feel safe – and taught me so much about resistance, joy, art, and solidarity. Ukraine is full of stories of how businesses and institutions stay open despite constant missile and drone strikes, and the lack of power, water, and heating during the winter. There is a quiet pride in how Ukrainians insist on doing their jobs and doing them well in spite of – and in defiance of – the Russian invasion. Read about @honey_cafe in my latest Substack. Link in bio.

For the 4th episode, I was very excited to talk to my dear friends @ferligabue , a documentary filmmaker, and @isaluz__ , a social activist and designer, in São Paolo. Most recently, one of the films that Fer worked on, @yanunifilm , was shortlisted for the Oscar for best documentary feature film! Fer and I met when we were hired as the videographer and photographer team for a Greenpeace expedition in the Indian Ocean in the middle of Covid. We both got on in the Seychelles and I got off in the Maldives, though Fer continued the journey all the way to Greece. (I unfortunately had to leave for my masters’ exams.) At the time I was newly diagnosed with ADHD, and Fer ended up getting diagnosed a few years later. I knew we got along so well for a reason! In this episode, we spoke about getting diagnosed as adults, how it helped us to accept ourselves and to learn to work with our brains rather than against it, and what it was like for Fer and Isa to live together as a neurodivergent couple. Listen wherever you find your podcasts or watch on YouTube. Links in bio. Recorded April 23, 2025 in São Paolo, Brazil.

On the third episode of All My Friends Have ADHD, Brazilian surfer and actor @ofelipefagundes talks about being diagnosed as a kid, self-love, and how he found solace in theatre and in the ocean.

As a journalist, my main safety concern on the front lines used to be heavy weaponry like tanks or artillery. Now, it means facing the risk of getting killed by some guy watching you through a headset and using a PlayStation controller to hunt you down with a drone – then having footage of your death broadcast on the internet. Drones, especially FPV (first-person view) drones, have made killing exponentially easier, cheaper – and more personal. I wrote about attending a @safer_access_ukraine training course that teaches Ukrainian civilians about drone awareness and survival on Substack. Link in bio.

I’m doing it! I’m launching a Substack! As the media industry implodes and the prospects of a freelance journalism career seem more precarious than ever… I just wanted to try to carve out my own space. There are so many stories I want to tell and I’m tired of trying (and failing) to find homes for them. Or seeing the media companies I once relied on shrink and/or die. So this is an experiment — a fun one! It will be a place for me to tell stories on my own terms, and in a more personal way. And honestly, I just want to get back to creating regularly. So expect a mix of independent reporting and personal musings, every Wednesday. For my first post, I reflected on one of the documentaries I’m most proud of making (alongside superstar @karenyereports and many others). We were very proud to receive the Overseas Press Club of America David A. Andelman & Pamela Title Award for “best international reporting in the broadcast media that shows a concern for the human condition”. I watched it for the first time in years while writing this. I cried. (Maybe I was extra emotional because I didn’t get to spend CNY at home this year.) I know this doc means a lot to everyone who worked on it. I hope you get the chance to watch it and read my post! 🫶 Links in bio.