Elise Hu
Elise Hu is a host-at-large based at NPR West in Culver City, Calif. Previously, she explored the future with her video series, Future You with Elise Hu, and served as the founding bureau chief and International Correspondent for NPR's Seoul office. She was based in Seoul for nearly four years, responsible for the network's coverage of both Koreas and Japan, and filed from a dozen countries across Asia.
Before joining NPR, she was one of the founding reporters at The Texas Tribune, a non-profit digital news startup devoted to politics and public policy. While at the Tribune, Hu oversaw television partnerships and multimedia projects, contributed to The New York Times' expanded Texas coverage, and pushed for editorial innovation across platforms.
An honors graduate of the University of Missouri-Columbia's School of Journalism, she previously worked as the state political reporter for KVUE-TV in Austin, WYFF-TV in Greenville, SC, and reported from Asia for the Taipei Times.
Her work at NPR has earned a DuPont-Columbia award and a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media for her video series, Elise Tries. Her previous work has earned a Gannett Foundation Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism, a National Edward R. Murrow award for best online video, and beat reporting awards from the Texas Associated Press. The Austin Chronicle once dubiously named her the "Best TV Reporter Who Can Write."
Outside of work, Hu has taught digital journalism at Northwestern University and Georgetown University's journalism schools and served as a guest co-host for TWIT.tv's program, Tech News Today. She's on the board of Grist Magazine and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
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An online video spot for HelloFlo breaks the familiar mold of cheesy tampon commercials in a clever way. Ad watchers say it's a reflection of the open, transparent conversations spurred by social media. -
It's called the Nap Anywhere, and the doctor who invented it promises it's far more comfortable — and easier to pack — than the standard inflatable U-shaped travel pillow you know well. -
The British prime minister says a plan to outlaw "violent" porn and block certain search terms is designed to protect children. Will a crackdown result in less child abuse? -
In this installment of our Weekly Innovation series, a bedding set that promises to solve the problem of having to realign or untangle bunched up sheets in the morning. The designers of Smart Bedding say it's a daily timesaver. -
The design, called Stand, is already selling to customers across Europe. The same water running while you wash your hands is also used to flush, says the designer. -
To see the speed of demographic change in Texas, look no further than Houston. Over the last few decades — despite crippling humidity, long commutes and a reputation for refineries — the city has become the most diverse in the nation. -
When NPR's Elise Hu was younger, she says, she wished her mother would use English more. Now, Mom's insistence in speaking Mandarin is a gift Elise wants to give her own daughter. -
Technology is making it easier than ever to track everything from your sleep cycles to the food you eat — and even your amino acid levels. -
As the Directors and Producers Guild Awards go, so does the Academy. At least most of the time. -
Chick-fil-A's president has publicly defended his company's controversial stance against gay marriage. The fast-food chain is hardly the first business to get caught in the crossfire of culture wars.
