Jenny Suo

Jenny Suo
Born
China
OccupationTelevision reporter
EmployerTVNZ

Jenny Suo (born c. 1990) is a New Zealand television newsreader. She hosts 1 News Tonight, and co-hosts Breakfast.

Early life and education

Suo was born in China. She moved to New Zealand aged four, in 1994, and could not speak English when she started school.[1][2] Suo's mother could not use her degree from China in New Zealand, so she studied accounting at Auckland University of Technology while also working part-time in a supermarket. Suo's father spent some time working in China to support the two.[2] Suo attended Pakuranga College in Auckland.[3]

In 2004 Suo, aged 14, and her classmate investigated the blackcurrant drink Ribena for a science fair. The two were testing to see if fruit drinks with lower prices were less healthy. They found that the drink had no vitamin C despite the label saying so. After believing that they had run the test incorrectly, teachers supported the results, expressing belief that they were correct. This encouraged them to send the results to GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), who made the drink at the time, but they received no response. Fair Go began to cover the story, and they soon wrote to the Commerce Commission. In 2007, GSK pleaded guilty to 15 charges of breaching the Fair Trading Act. Consequently, Suo had several interviews and calls from overseas journalists, which she described as overwhelming for a teenage girl. Ribena continued selling following this incident, albeit with a poorer reputation.[4]

Career

Suo attended the New Zealand Broadcasting School in Christchurch. After completion, she was given a job at TV3,[2] where she stayed for eight years, and hosted Newshub Late.[5] She started hosting 1 News Tonight in January 2019, replacing Greg Boyed after his death. 1 News Tonight runs at 10:30pm on each weekday.[5][6] In May 2020, Suo started co-hosting Breakfast alongside John Campbell, Matty McLean and Jenny-May Clarkson.[7]

References

  1. ^ Nealon, Sarah (24 February 2021). "The science project that made 1 News Tonight's Jenny Suo famous". Stuff. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Hartigan, Florence (14 May 2023). "Jenny Suo's inspiration: 'I couldn't have made it without my mum'". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  3. ^ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (18 November 2023). "Remembering when two teenagers nearly brought down Ribena". The Spinoff. Archived from the original on 10 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  4. ^ Sowman-Lund, Stewart (19 November 2023). "Remembering when Ribena was exposed by teens Jenny Suo and Anna Devathasan". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Jenny Suo to front 1 News Tonight". Stuff. 20 December 2018. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Jenny Suo to front 1 News Tonight in 2019". The New Zealand Herald. 20 December 2018. Archived from the original on 30 May 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  7. ^ Bevan, Darren (21 May 2020). "Jenny Suo joins Breakfast crew, Anna Burns-Francis back to Fair Go". Stuff. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 8 January 2024.