Elise Hu

Elise Hu is a digital editorial specialist at NPR who contributes reporting to on-air, online and multimedia platforms. She joined NPR in 2011 to coordinate the digital development and editorial vision for the StateImpact network, a state government reporting project focused on member stations.

Before joining NPR, she helped launch The Texas Tribune, a non-profit digital news startup devoted to government and politics. 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. Her work there earned a Gannett Foundation Award for Innovation in Watchdog Journalism and a National Edward R. Murrow award for best online video.

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.

Outside of work, Hu is an adviser to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, where she keeps up with emerging media and technology as a panelist for the Knight News Challenge.

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All Tech Considered
2:18 pm
Thu April 11, 2013

A Mile-High Hack: An App That Could Remotely Hijack Planes

Credit iStockphoto.com
A German IT consultant's proof-of-concept software raises questions about efforts to secure global flight systems.

Originally published on Fri April 12, 2013 9:28 am

The Federal Aviation Administration continues work on its multibillion-dollar upgrade to the nation's air traffic control system, but it may not be enough to stop hackers from taking control of airplanes with a smartphone.

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Code Switch
6:46 am
Tue April 9, 2013

Mom Says: "Learn Chinese"

Originally published on Tue April 9, 2013 10:50 am

My earliest memory of code switching is at Pizza Hut, back when Pizza Huts were sit-down restaurants with salad bars and garlic bread. (Like any daughter of immigrants, most of my memories involve food.) My mom and dad would speak with the waiters in English, ordering our pan-crust pizzas and Pepsi products, but we used Mandarin at the table. Our Mandarin was our secret code.

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The Two-Way
12:58 pm
Sun March 24, 2013

100 Hours On The Supreme Court's Sidewalk: Camping Out For A Seat To History

Credit Elise Hu / NPR
More than two dozen people bundled up to camp out before the U.S. Supreme Court for a seat to watch oral arguments in a same-sex marriage case on Tuesday.

Overnight temperatures are dipping below freezing and the forecast calls for snow, but cold, boredom and discomfort haven't stopped more than 30 Supreme Court die-hards from camping out for a seat to history.

"I just really wanted to be part of this moment, so I had been planning to come down for months," said Darienn Powers, a college student who came to Washington from New York. "No matter what, it's worth it to be in there and really experience what's going on."

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The Two-Way
1:35 pm
Wed March 20, 2013

Scientists: 'No Options' To Stop Massive Asteroids On Collision Course

Credit Frank Masi / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Actor Bruce Willis on the surface of an asteroid from the movie Armageddon. Lawmakers are questioning the likelihood of the movie's plot becoming reality.

Originally published on Wed March 20, 2013 2:40 pm

Without "a few years" warning, humans currently have no capacity to stop an asteroid on a collision course with the planet, scientists told a Senate panel Wednesday.

"Right now we have no options," said former astronaut Ed Lu. "If you dont know where they are, there's nothing you can do."

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All Tech Considered
2:29 am
Tue March 12, 2013

Self-Tracking Apps To Help You 'Quantify' Yourself

Credit Elise Hu / NPR
Noah Zandan shows off his Zeo sleep-tracking headband. His other self-tracking devices are on his wrists. Noah and his father, Peter, are both part of the growing "Quantified Self" movement.

Originally published on Tue March 12, 2013 9:11 am

Technology has made it easier than ever to track your activity levels, your sleep cycles, how you spend your time, and more. The self-trackers who near-obsessively capture and analyze their own data are part of a growing "Quantified Self" movement.

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All Tech Considered
5:20 am
Mon March 11, 2013

The Most Talked About Tech And Culture Trends At SXSW Interactive

Originally published on Mon March 11, 2013 6:40 pm

Everywhere you walk in downtown Austin, Texas, new names compete for the attention of the tens of thousands wandering the SXSW Interactive festival. Which of this year's emerging ideas and brands — MakerBot, Leap Motion, Geomagic — will break into mainstream consciousness? Here's a quick rundown of the conversation topics in coffee lines, and some notes on appearances and panels that caught our attention:

Beyond The Keyboard And Mouse

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All Tech Considered
11:13 am
Mon February 25, 2013

Working From Home: The End Of Productivity Or The Future Of Work?

Credit Peter Kramer / ASSOCIATED PRESS
Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer on Feb. 20, 2013. Under Mayer, Yahoo is ending its remote work policy for employees.

In its bid to reshape itself for the future, Yahoo is returning to a workplace culture of the tech industry's past. The Internet giant has reportedly notified its employees they'll no longer be allowed to work from home.

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Oscars 2013: The 85th Annual Academy Awards
11:56 am
Sat February 23, 2013

The Four Biggest Best Picture Oscar Upsets, Statistically Speaking

Originally published on Sat February 23, 2013 12:28 pm

The Two-Way
12:05 pm
Wed February 20, 2013

Cash-Strapped Postal Service To Launch A New Clothing Line

Credit Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A mailman for the U.S. Postal Service delivers mail on November 15, 2012 in Miami, Florida.

Originally published on Wed February 20, 2013 12:32 pm

The U.S. Postal Service is getting creative in its search for new revenue after last year's $15.9 billion budget shortfall. The agency says it will debut a new clothing and accessories line called Rain Heat & Snow, inspired by its unofficial motto: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

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The Two-Way
8:11 am
Sat February 9, 2013

The Blizzard 'Nemo' Highlights The Hype Cycle Of Storms

Credit AFP / AFP/Getty Images
Two women look for a taxi in New York's Times Square on Friday.

Originally published on Sat February 9, 2013 11:53 am

If you've wondered why the blizzard dumping snow on the Northeast has a name, look no further than The Weather Channel. At the start of this storm season, the 24-hour-weather network announced, much to the chagrin of The National Weather Service, that it would give names to winter storms.

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Pop-Up Politics
9:00 am
Tue October 2, 2012

Pop-Up Politics: 2012 General Election Edition

Credit NPR
Pop-Up Politics

Originally published on Tue October 2, 2012 10:55 am

If you want a little background and perspective to what the presidential candidates are saying — as they're saying it — then our "Pop-Up Politics" videos are for you. As VH1 did with music videos, we've added pop-up bubbles and animation to stump speeches to give context to the candidates' statements on the war in Afghanistan, energy and the economy.

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It's All Politics
4:58 am
Sun September 16, 2012

Presidential Debates Can Be Great Theater, But How Much Do They Matter?

Originally published on Mon September 17, 2012 6:52 am

Even before the final balloons fell on the Republican and Democratic conventions, pundits were talking up the next big American political viewing experience — the presidential debates.

These match-ups, in which candidates actually share a stage after months of bruising one another from far range, can lead to moments of rhetorical brilliance, or the opposite — getting caught off-guard and making a gaffe.

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All Tech Considered
5:17 pm
Tue September 11, 2012

11 Takeaways From Mark Zuckerberg's First Post-Facebook IPO Interview

Credit Eric Risberg / AP
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized his company's mobile-centered future Tuesday, in his first public comments since Facebook's troubled IPO.

Originally published on Tue September 11, 2012 6:08 pm

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave his first public interview after his tech company's rocky IPO and the disappointing stock performance that followed. Facebook's share price is now worth about $19 — half as much as it was priced back in May when its stock first went on the market.

Zuckerberg took questions from Michael Arrington at TechCrunch Disrupt, a San Francisco conference for startups. We watched and listened in to the talk in case you missed it:

Building a mission and business go hand-in-hand

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The Two-Way
3:21 pm
Thu August 9, 2012

Publisher Pulls Controversial Thomas Jefferson Book, Citing Loss Of Confidence

Credit Thomas Nelson Publishers
Cover art for The Jefferson Lies

Originally published on Thu August 9, 2012 6:44 pm

Citing a loss of confidence in the book's details, Christian publisher Thomas Nelson is ending the publication and distribution of the bestseller, The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You've Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson.

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Religion
4:41 pm
Wed August 8, 2012

Cue The Tape: How David Barton Sees The World

Credit ERIC GAY / ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Barton in 2004.

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