Deborah Wang
Contributing Reporter, Editor, & Host
About
Deborah is a contributing reporter, editor, and host at KUOW. Since joining the staff in 2005, Deborah has done everything from political reporting to podcast hosting and she has served as interim news director. She is an award–winning radio and television journalist whose career spans more than three decades.
Deborah's first reporting job was at public radio station WFCR in Amherst, Massachusetts. In 1990, she went to work for National Public Radio and served as NPR's Asia correspondent based in Hong Kong. During that time, she covered the Persian Gulf War from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and then spent months in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq filing stories on the war's aftermath.
In 1993, she joined ABC News as a television correspondent in Beijing and Hong Kong, and covered, among other things, Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule. In 1999, she set up the network's first news bureau in Seattle.
Deborah has also worked as an on–air anchor for CNN International, as host of IN Close on KCTS9 Public Television in Seattle. She is a long-time host on the TEDxSeattle stage.
In recent years, Deborah's reporting has focused on adolescents and mental health. She was the recipient of a 2018-2019 Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowship.
Deborah has won numerous awards for her reporting, including the Alfred I. DuPont Silver Baton, the Overseas Press Club's Lowell Thomas Award and a Gracie Award from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.
To see more of Deborah's past KUOW work, visit our archive site.
Location: Seattle
Languages: English, conversational Chinese
Pronouns: she/her
Professional Affiliations: US Advisory Board Member, Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellowships
Stories
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Health
Will measles outbreak lead to more vaccinations?
We look at how the recent measles outbreak is changing the way people think about vaccinations.
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Arts & Life
How to complain like a true Seattleite
On this episode of SoundQs, we answer this question posed to us by Seattle listener Suzanne Morrison.
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Health
Ghosted: A Seattle play for teens that goes deep
Anxiety. Depression. Rage. Suicidal thoughts. Those are the subjects of the play "Ghosted," which premieres this weekend at the Seattle Children’s Theatre and will then go on tour to high schools in the state of Washington.
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Arts & Life
Yes, Seattle, you have an accent
If you grew up in the in the upper left part of the U.S., you probably don’t hear it. But it’s there: a Northwest accent.
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Health
Lawmakers consider giving parents more rights to help mentally ill teens
If a teenager is mentally ill and doesn't want help, there isn't much a parent can do. But a bill now before the Washington state legislature may change that.
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Health
When my son was 12, he turned violent. Life is just now getting better
When my son was 7, we moved to Vancouver, Washington, and life was good for a few years. But then something changed. I don’t know if it was puberty, or the new baby, but he turned violent.
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Health
Should parents be able to weigh in on kids' mental health treatment?
In Washington state, kids who are 13 and older can access mental health treatment on their own. They can refuse treatment, too. Parents have lobbied for decades to change the law.
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Health
Alex was depressed. But he was 13, so his mom couldn’t check in with his therapist
Alex’s life fell apart in middle school.
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Arts & Life
Um, why does that boat get priority over Seattle drivers?
We'll look at why boats take priority over cars when it comes to opening drawbridges.
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Arts & Life
How Seattle houseboats have managed to stay afloat
We explore the history of houseboats and what makes this community so unique.