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Jarrod Watt

@jaywatt.bsky.social
1.3K followers 823 following 3.7K posts

Australian journo in Hong Kong; podcast editor/producer; Aus news correspondent RTHK3; journalism lecturer HKBU; ex SCMP, ABC, PBSFM, RRR; reformed music journo and bartender - jarrodwatt.com

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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 16h
One technology, two terms according to whether you’re on the white team. ‘Smart glasses’ if you’re on team Zuckerberg, ‘pervert glasses’ if you’re team China. Was this headline assisted by ABC’s embrace of Anthropic in news production, or was it a human decision?
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 17h
Are Hong Kong construction standards a joke, or the punchline? Harry Harrison reinforces a concrete argument in today's #cartoon
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
All rise… @goldingcartoons.bsky.social in the house for tonight’s #OpenAI #cartoon
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
GANGajang and BTN… maximum respect
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
In a crook year it’s been a really crook couple of weeks
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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Max Walden @maxwalden.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
News Corp racked up its 12th year in a row of paying precisely zero tax in Australia, despite posting revenues of well over $1 billion, new ATO data last week revealed www.theage.com.au/business/com...
theage.com.au
The good, the bad and the grumpy: Will Joe Aston’s Rampart go soft on its corporate backers?
In this week’s On Background, Joe Aston’s media start-up has got everyone talking, the ABC seems bored with long news bulletins and ATO’s latest data once again reveals a sorry tale.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
He really did say about Iran: "...let em take out Los Angeles, let em take out San Diego"... That's just over 5 million people, with a bunch of major military installations. Thus we imagine what his insane apparatchiks are planning for the midterms. This is madness. substack.com/@ifloz/note/...
substack.com
I Fucking Love Australia (@ifloz)
Lock this traitorous unhinged lunatic up and melt the key. This fucker requires the 25th immediately.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Robber/pirate baron promises to let island nation know next time his crew breaks in and steals stuff. "But we have learned our lesson, and it is better to inform impacted parties even if we have limited information..." Nation: "We've got a prompt for you, sunshine." www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10...
abc.net.au
Live: AI execs pledge quicker warnings of rogue agent hacks
Executives from Anthropic and OpenAI are being grilled at a parliamentary inquiry into artificial intelligence. Follow live.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
All normal. "According to several outlets, hospitals are under quarantine, [hospital] shutdowns ranging from 3 to 5. Reports from independent news sources such as The Moscow Times say nearly 200 workers have been placed under observation." Who's calling WHO? www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Reports of a plague outbreak in Russia follow the death of a researcher
Several hospitals in the Irkutsk region have been shut down and up to 200 workers have been quarantined.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
OK Gil Duran wrote the book but @fionakatauskas.bsky.social nailed the #cartoon - the Nerd Reich really are a bunch of man-children with poor social skills. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ner...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
It’s one analyst saying it… but are secret ‘toll’ payments being made to Iran to rush oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz before Trump restarts his ruinous war with Iran? www-aljazeera-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.alja...
www-aljazeera-com.cdn.ampproject.org
Is Iran charging a toll to allow oil traffic through Hormuz?
Crude exports bypassing Hormuz surged in September, yet oil prices remain high. Could a secret fee be the reason?
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
It’s just a fatality at a Russian disease research facility near the border with China. I’m sure we’ll have reasoned, evidence-based reporting… www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10...
abc.net.au
US closely monitoring death of Russian plague laboratory employee
Officials in Russia provide conflicting information about the death of an employee at a Siberian "anti-plague" laboratory.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
More trash than cash? Harry Harrison checks in on the post-Golden Week analysis in Hong Kong: today’s #cartoon
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Additional note for transparency: this video produced by my students from Hong Kong Baptist U, pitched to me independently, shot/produced for a video assignment. I reckon they did a very good job. Details about Blair's life, work & family demonstrating good journalism. youtu.be/6QW1YYlq-AM?...
youtu.be
The magic behind vinyl
YouTube video by Lion Rock Tales
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Blair Reeves was infamous in the Hong Kong poetry scene for his "National Security poem", in response to being told There Are Things We Can't Talk About. But it was his love for vinyl, for 10 years gathering strangers in a room to listen & chat, that will endure. www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QW1...
youtube.com
The magic behind vinyl
YouTube video by Lion Rock Tales
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I think the best way to approach responses to low-effort, low-quality journalism in Hong Kong for the death of a highly literate, creative master of language and sound who had a profound impact across so many communities is to use this as a learning opportunity: youtu.be/TGuyyMmUJto?...
youtu.be
Why You Should Read Poetry Aloud | Blair Reeve | TEDxYouth@AISHK
YouTube video by TEDx Talks
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
That's crook I'm sure she had a story of a life lived. Here's to you and all her friends and family who will say her name with love and respect
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
hey thanks for that, appreciated
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Something so grim about seeing your friend’s death reported with shit journalism. Blair Reeves was a Kiwi & a Hong Kong resident, an author, a teacher at HKU, a co-owner of a record store in Sheung Wan & a colossus of the poetry scene for the past 10 years. www.thestandard.com.hk/news/article...
thestandard.com.hk
Man dies after suspected drowning during Peng Chau swimming race
A foreign man in his 50s died after he was suspected of drowning while taking part in a swimming race off Peng Chau on Thursday (Oct 1).
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Even my fuckin obits have typos. Fuck this entire timeline I want my money back for 2026
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Feel like this should have been a major point at the recent United Nations General Assembly: "Leaving AI safety in the hands of a few companies is a threat to the sovereignty of nations, in particular smaller countries that lack the resources to assess the models or demand greater accountability"
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Not a day to go out in the heat in Hong Kong or do strenuous, sustained exercise. But... what if it's a public holiday? "More than 400 hikers visited one of Hong Kong’s best-known geological attractions on Thursday morning." Hope that's working out OK? www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
scmp.com
Hikers flock to Hong Kong’s Po Pin Chau on first day of National Day ‘golden week’
Visitors describe the trail’s new booking system as smooth, but some lawmakers say more data is needed to suggest improvements.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Current Hong Kong weather rating: Satan’s Gusset. Good time to stay inside and read up on history for how a really big El Niño played out for China a while back. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1877%E2...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The existential threat of corporate clowns and AI to journalism & newsrooms: "... the company has agreed to prohibit the use of AI to interview people or write articles, it has declined to extend protections to... photojournalists, copy editors & social media..." www.geekwire.com/2026/seattle...
geekwire.com
Seattle Times journalists picket over AI, calling for job protections in contract talks
Members of the Seattle Times Union held a lunchtime picket outside the newspaper's offices Wednesday, calling on the company to guarantee that AI won't replace any newsroom jobs. The company has agree...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
20 years in Afghanistan. 20 years in Iraq. Now an old folk song from a war back in 1994: "The military & the monetary get together Whenever they think it's necessary They turn our brothers and sisters into mercenaries They are turning the planet into a cemetery" www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/...
aljazeera.com
Pentagon says US troop withdrawal from Iraq is complete
Trump hails completion of 'very expensive excursion into Hell' as US-led coalition anti-ISIL mission ends.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A meaningful, insightful article published about modern China on China's national day. "Across the country, local communities are converting classrooms into elderly care centres, nursing homes and community dining halls." Big challenges beckon beyond the big cities. www.scmp.com/economy/chin...
scmp.com
As China’s birth rate falls, vacant schools are turned into aged care facilities
Data shows primary and preschool enrolments each fell by 10 per cent last year, leaving classrooms empty while the elderly population grows.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Debate about global AI regulation does indeed have a “China-shaped hole” in the narrative. Here’s good analysis pointing out the Chinese model can’t be transplanted but “a market-led model cannot mean privatising the rewards of AI while exporting its risks.” theconversation.com/us-tech-lead...
theconversation.com
US tech leaders are urgently calling for rules on AI – China already has them
China has already implemented many rules governing the use of artificial intelligence.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Another mansplaining column about Hong Kong birth rates… unable to find a woman to quote. Buried deep in blather about AI is this: “Women continue to bear a disproportionate share of caregiving and often face greater career disruption after becoming parents.” Solution? www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...
scmp.com
Opinion | Raising Hong Kong’s birth rate is an economic imperative
Economies competing in an AI-driven future will need more highly skilled workers, not fewer. Low fertility is not only a social challenge – it’s an economic threat.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Self-regulating AI from the convicted felon who purges police and persecutes prosecutors… today’s #cartoon from @mluckovich.bsky.social
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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Aaron Busch @tripperhead.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Hong Kong national security police have arrested Tang Ho-wing, the founder and operator of the digital news platform Boom News, on Wednesday morning.  He was detained on suspicion of publishing fake news to incite sedition. www.thestandard.com.hk/news/article...
thestandard.com.hk
Hong Kong national security police arrest founder of Boom News over alleged sedition
Hong Kong national security police arrested Tang Ho-wing, the founder and operator of the digital news platform Boom News, on Wednesday morning.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
If only they'd used spellcheck... If only a human had checked it before publishing. If only they had a sub-editor
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
What can we deduce when the #1 rage bait/pro-Beijing columnist in Hong Kong media starts quoting REM lyrics? Does he need some Country Feedback or does he need to know Everybody Hurts... or is he just Tired of Singing Trouble? What's the frequency, Alex?
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This would appear to be a valid line of enquiry a Hong Kong journalist might follow up... dohje
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
"Why is this happening over and over?" Indeed... why is Sam Altman not "helping police with enquiries" as we like to say. "OpenAI models are attacking websites and taking anything they can out of them because that is the business model of the company." prospect.org/2026/09/29/a...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This has never been explained to me… Thankyou
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Convicted felon announces ‘morally binding’ deal for self regulation of AI. Whose morals are they bound by? www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Trump announces vague ‘morally binding’ AI deal among tech CEOs for ‘tremendous self-policing’
US president also issued executive order officially rebranding ‘artificial intelligence’ as ‘superintelligence’
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Harry Harrison with a #cartoon checkup for Hong Kong’s rapidly ageing population: we need more nurses, not arguments
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Melbourne: FIFO electricians are being flown in from mines in Qld and WA to meet the mad rush to build data centres before the protests get *really* organised Capetown: Civil rights groups in South Africa are protesting the expansion of data centers by American companies
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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Aaron Busch @tripperhead.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Hong Kong police received 1,503 reports of unauthorised credit card purchases involving Apple’s new iPhone 18 totaling more than HK$30 million, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said. All affected transactions have been cancelled.
thestandard.com.hk
Police logs 1,503 iPhone 18 card fraud reports worth over $30m, all transactions canceled
Hong Kong police have received 1,503 reports of unauthorized credit card purchases involving Apple’s new iPhone 18, totaling more than HK$30 million, Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming said.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Australia: Just wait - in the 2040s we're getting some serious submarine power, we'll be ready for the US war with our major trading partner China: Submarines? Wow. If only there was some way to defend against them... y'know like Ukraine against Russian tanks? www.scmp.com/news/china/s...
scmp.com
Chinese team sets world record with swarm of 116 underwater drones
Vehicles were deployed in sequence and carried out formation navigation with no human intervention during the test in a swimming pool.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seems simple: Hong Kong has a housing crisis. An office block stands vacant. Will the can-do Lion Rock Spirit prevail? "..some might view demolishing a 16-year-old grade A office building as a waste of resources that runs counter to sustainable development.." Cannot. www.scmp.com/business/chi...
scmp.com
Plan to turn Hong Kong office block into flats rejected despite high vacancies
The Town Planning Board’s decision has cast a potential shadow over future applications while sellers struggle to fill commercial buildings.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The many faces of Trump’s winning strategy with Iran: today’s #cartoon from @deadder.bsky.social eerily recreates the last 6 months of headlines
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
“Sensitive product categories such as semiconductors, batteries and electric vehicles are not covered in the $30bn tariff cut lists…” nor are soy beans - and how about those rare earth export controls? What a deal maker. www.theguardian.com/business/202...
theguardian.com
Foie gras, live dolphins and toasters: China and US cut reciprocal tariffs on $30bn each of goods
World’s biggest economies release lists of products in latest move away from trade war – but no strategic goods are included
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Probably don’t need a thousand words for this picture. It beggars belief this man can stand at the UN and rant about killing millions - and then refuse a ceasefire, linking further bombing with a mid term election… and the world’s media just moves on.
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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
Rest of World @restofworld.org · 26/09/2026
Meta is facing a growing threat from social media bans for under-16s. Its response? Paying influencers in countries like India and Indonesia to promote its teen safety tools restofworld.org/2026/meta-influence…
A person is speaking in a video on a smartphone screen. The display shows engagement icons such as likes, comments, and shares. The Instagram account handle "hitentejwani" is visible, along with the option to follow the account.A panel discussion titled "What does safety look like from a young person's perspective?" is taking place on a stage. The backdrop displays the Meta logo and "Screen Smart." Several individuals are seated on stage, with an audience watching from the foreground.
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Climate crisis. Energy crisis. Two powerful old men in charge of huge economies meet and… “China has agreed to purchase at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in both 2027 and 2028…” Glad that’s sorted… now for El Niño, what could possibly go wrong? au.finance.yahoo.com/news/china-a...
au.finance.yahoo.com
China agrees to buy 10 million tons of US coal in 2027 and 2028
Investing.com -- China has agreed to purchase at least 10 million metric tons of U.S. coal in both 2027 and 2028 as Washington and Beijing expand trade cooperation following their latest high-level ta...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
And then a nation’s leader stood up at the United Nations and spoke the truth: “We have built a world with flawless logistics for war, and broken logistics for food… Hit by the climate, we did not warm, and again hit by the wars, we did not start.” www.thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2026...
thenewdaily.com.au
A lone voice pleads for help addressing this global catastrophe
As the world wrings it's hands over AI, which it seems to be enabling, a lone voice called for help fighting a true global catastrophe.
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Reposted by Jarrod Watt
CAMERON WILSON @cameronwilson.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
As OpenAI disclosed "dozens" more breaches, new evidence on Australia's incident reveals that the company's agents spent a week persistently trying to access new types and sources of Australian health data - with Clare Armstrong www.abc.net.au/news/...
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Thankyou kindly Jove!
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Jarrod Watt @jaywatt.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
"A series of Canadian lawsuits against OpenAI over its failure to alert authorities to threats made on its ChatGPT platform ahead of one of the worst mass shootings in Canada’s history has renewed scrutiny.." 8 people dead. “I am deeply sorry that we did not alert law enforcement,” Altman wrote.
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