Truth in review: four years of Truth articles vs the World

Between the author joining The Truth in October 2019 to the present, a lot has happened around the world (Credit: https://images.theconversation.com/files/489559/original/file-20221013-25-pn0xmr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=20&auto=format&w=320&fit=clip&dpr=2&usm=12&cs=strip)

I often joke that the world went to hell as soon as I entered Renaissance College and worked for The Truth, and it’s not without reason. Since I joined in October 2019, the anti-extradition protests entered their most volatile stage, the COVID-19 pandemic and the National Security Law fundamentally changed Hong Kong, a war broke out in Ukraine, politics across the globe started shifting from democracy to authoritarianism, and climate change has been worsening by the second. 

But looking back at all the articles I’ve written over the last four years, it is interesting to review the naivety and cluelessness I had, given my current 2020 hindsight. 

Of the big themes my articles followed, COVID would be at the top of the list. As the pandemic evolved around the world, I wrote about how not to control a pandemic in late 2020. Yet it is clear in 2023, the global response to the pandemic should get us a big “F” as in FAIL. Whether it’s mixed messaging from governments and public health officials or individualism hijacking public health measures for selfish gains, history will view this time as both embarrassing and cringeworthy. 

Unlike most of the world that had reopened between 2021 and the start of 2022, Hong Kong was late to the party and only joined in after a devastating fifth wave spike in February 2022. As the government started opening up, I was skeptical about the speed they took to reopen schools. I remember writing my article about supporting and discouraging school reopenings on the day the government announced school reopenings — it was a relief that nothing bad had happened after the reopening. 

My articles about the pandemic were interestingly a capsule of history, especially about zero COVID in mainland China. Looking back at the hoops that I had to jump through just to go back to my home in Shenzhen, it now feels surreal to travel back and forth between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. And the lack of any COVID tests or quarantines was very unusual after three years of pandemic regulations and technological restraints. 

When I was not writing about COVID, I mainly focused on global politics, especially the ridiculous and entertaining political situation in the United States. The first article I wrote for The Truth was about the impeachment of Donald Trump over lobbying Ukraine to investigate then Presidential candidate Joe Biden. Looking back at the event, it felt influential for two factors. Not only did this become the first impeachment of Trump (preceding the second impeachment which happened after January 6, 2021), but the aid to Ukraine Trump also pulled back in exchange for extortion was vital as Putin’s war against Ukraine entered its first anniversary in February 2023.

It is also hilarious to see my predictions age well. Rereading my article on Biden’s challenges as his term started, it felt telling when his real domestic and foreign challenges were dramatically different compared to January 2021, from the embarrassing pullout from Afghanistan that shocked the world during the summer of 2021 to the passing of the infrastructure and Build Back Better bills in 2022. 

A fun fact unbeknownst to many readers might be the rejection of some of my article drafts. I had rewritten an article reviewing the 2020 election several times before it was rejected due to the evolution and timeliness of the events. A long article supporting the animation industry was also scrapped due to the other content in The Truth. At the same time, so many of my ideas were scrapped or unwritten because of time and content restraints. Whether it is the prevalence of Artificial Intelligence (see ChatGPT) or media sensationalism, there is too much to write about in so little time. 

With the number of articles I have contributed to The Truth, you might think I am exhausted from writing all of them for my CAS requirement. However, I feel really energised sharing my thoughts and opinions with you, the reader. I hope you enjoyed my work. Maybe they made you think, maybe they made you laugh; perhaps they enriched your life like my Suggestion From A Nerd articles. But as I leave The Truth to university, I hope you will still support the publication for its other pieces and amazing content.