5 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Want to go behind the scenes of the Chronicle Opinion section? Check out our new newsletter
Wait, don't hit delete! Yes, this is still the Opinion Central newsletter.
We're just rolling out a new format to offer readers more than a collection of links.
I'm Harry Mok, and starting this week on Thursdays, I'll be your guide for content from the Chronicle's Opinion section.
First, a little about me. I'm the Opinion section's assistant editor and a columnist. I help edit all the stories that appear in the section, and I'm the editor who receives all of the Letters to the Editor submissions from readers.
I grew up in the Sacramento area on a farm that my parents, immigrants from China, started as the family business. I didn't appreciate much of my family's history until I got off the farm and went to college at San Jose State, where I majored in journalism.
I knew that having a family farm that grew Chinese vegetables was unusual. At San Jose State, I took classes in Asian American history and literature, which gave me a better understanding of how my family fit, or didn't fit, into the American story. I'm glad I've been able to document and honor that history by writing about it.
My career has taken me from California to New York and back, and to the Chronicle twice. I was a copy editor at the Chronicle from 1997 to 2002, and I returned in 2016. I've been with the Opinion section as assistant editor since 2021.
I've lived in San Francisco since 1996 and in the Sunset District since 2004. Some readers might be familiar with my columns about the Sunset, including the recent debate over the closure of the Upper Great Highway to cars.
With the new Thursday newsletter format, I want to give you insights into what you're reading and how it came to be. Sometimes, that could be going behind-the-scenes with staff columnists or contributors to talk about their pieces or an analysis of issues of the day. Other times, I might give newsletter readers the space to weigh in.
The goal is to have a deeper discourse that gets people thinking. Then, maybe you'll want to send a letter to the editor. Or you'll be motivated to research a subject to bolster an opinion or offer your personal experience for an Open Forum submission.
The Chronicle's Opinion section welcomes viewpoints from all perspectives about the challenges we face and the triumphs we celebrate, hit me up.
Our submissions inbox is open, and I can be reached at hmok@
