Excellence in Audio Storytelling, Long-form or Series
ABOUT THE WORK: Global supply chains are often described as a "black box"—opaque, secretive and fiercely guarded. When the U.S. administration upended nearly a century’s worth of global trade policies in April 2025, that box cracked wide open and few regions felt the impact more acutely than the Asia-Pacific. As American manufacturers scrambled to shift operations to "+1" economies, Bloomberg’s Big Take Asia podcast moved to the front lines to document the human reality of this shift. Through our Great Decoupling series, we followed Learning Resources, an American toymaker suing the government over tariff policies, providing an intimate look at a company attempting to unwind decades of manufacturing dependence on China.
Led by Bloomberg’s K. Oanh Ha, this series took listeners deep into the rhythms of the global economy. In Episode One, Oanh returned home to Vietnam—having left as a refugee after the Vietnam War—to capture the sounds of its changing manufacturing landscape and illustrate why "quitting China" is a challenge for manufacturers and local communities alike. Episode Two took listeners to India, where stacks of unopened inventory served as a testament to the fallout of sudden tariff reversals; India’s dreams of becoming the world’s toy factory seemed to vanish overnight. In the final installment, we visited the Learning Resources headquarters in Chicago to see what it would take to fully reshore manufacturing and explore whether ‘making American manufacturing great again’ is a realistic goal for businesses and consumers alike.
The production of this series required months of reporting across four countries, each presenting unique access challenges. Securing permission to record inside factories in Vietnam and India demanded extensive negotiations with suppliers wary of political sensitivities, while gaining the trust of Learning Resources required constant communication as trade rules shifted unpredictably. Since publication, the series has generated more than 100,000 global downloads and established a new benchmark for narrative field reporting at Bloomberg.
By blending immersive sound design with cross-border investigation, the project humanized a geopolitical conflict. As Learning Resources now awaits a landmark Supreme Court ruling that will determine the future of these sweeping trade policies , this series remains a vital record of the economic and emotional costs of unraveling a globalized world. We present The Great Decoupling in full for your consideration and thank you for your time.
K. Oanh Ha is a Bloomberg News reporter covering global business and host of the Big Take Asia podcast. She joined the news organization in 2010 as Vietnam bureau chief. Before joining Bloomberg, she worked as host and reporter for KQED Public Radio in San Francisco and also reported for the San Jose Mercury News. A long-time AAJA member and chapter officer, Oanh’s passionate about diversity and mentorship.
Naomi Ng is a podcast producer at Bloomberg, where she produces Big Take Asia, a weekly narrative podcast examining major business, political and economic developments shaping the region. She has more than a decade of experience reporting across Asia. Before joining Bloomberg in 2024, she worked in Seoul as an editor and journalist at The Korea Herald, and in Hong Kong as a reporter at the South China Morning Post. Her reporting has focused on housing, urban planning and the experiences of marginalized communities.
Yang Yang is an audio and video producer and journalist with a decade of experience in digital media and storytelling. At Bloomberg, Yang leads end-to-end production for Asia-focused podcast content, handling research, editing, post-production, and audience growth strategy. Her work includes producing major programs such as the award-winning Big Take Asia, Bloomberg’s flagship live show Bloomberg Daybreak, and podcasts including Foundering and Stephanomics. Previously, Yang was a producer at the South China Morning Post, where she created the award-winning shows Eat Drink Asia and Inside China Tech. Her work has also appeared on WNYC’s Radiolab, and she's produced content for organizations including Morgan Stanley, Thomson Reuters, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Honorable Mention: Emily Wu Pearson; Other contributors: Meimei Xu, series, “Detained in Georgia” (1/2/3), WABE
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