Betsy Joles

Betsy Joles was part of Tsinghua’s Global Business Journalism master’s class of 2020. She was a valedictorian and was awarded the prize for best journalism portfolio.

An accomplished freelance writer, photographer and videographer, Betsy worked extensively in the Middle East and Southeast Asia before joining the GBJ program in 2018. During her time at Tsinghua, she reported extensively on China, from the Hong Kong protests of 2019 to the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.

Since graduation, has had work published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Nikkei Asia, Foreign Policy, The Economist, Slate, Vox, Foreign Affairs, Politico, CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera, NBC, and PRI, among others. She has worked on international journalism projects with grants from the International Women's Media Foundation and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. As of 2023, she is based in Pakistan.

According to her website: ' "For me, journalism is an intellectual exercise, a sociological tool, and a constantly evolving lesson in human interaction. The connection it facilitates is something beautiful. It's also heavy. It's my way to engage in that complexity with the people I interview and photograph. I'll continue doing this work to understand the nuances around me."