{"id":760,"date":"2026-09-15T09:49:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T13:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/?p=760"},"modified":"2026-09-15T14:12:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T18:12:13","slug":"an-obituary-worth-the-new-york-times-a-profile-of-chris-bao","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/jrn449-f26\/an-obituary-worth-the-new-york-times-a-profile-of-chris-bao\/","title":{"rendered":"An Obituary Worth the New York Times: A Profile of Chris Bao"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Devon Williams<\/em><\/p>\n

Chris Bao is a man full of contradictions.<\/p>\n

He knows that \u201conly some people get obituaries in the New York Times,\u201d yet insists every personal story has value.<\/p>\n

As former head news editor of The Daily Princetonian, he has written more than 80 stories but can\u2019t find a word to say about himself.<\/p>\n

Even when he states he doesn\u2019t think he is \u201cthat interesting,\u201d it\u2019s clear there is more to Bao than meets the eye.<\/p>\n

Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Bao grew up primarily in Plainsboro just 15 miles from Princeton. His parents, both immigrants from China, work in software engineering and financial consulting. Bao calls his younger sister \u201cone of my best friends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite this closeness, that trust has not been as easy with his parents. Differences in values have shaped Bao\u2019 relationship with them in adulthood, and he is of the mind \u201cfound family\u201d with those \u201cwho consistently prove that they\u2019re there for you, and you\u2019re there for them as well\u201d is the critical form of community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m grateful for a lot of my upbringing,\u201d he said, but he also appreciates that \u201cnot every family looks alike, and not every relationship with your family is going to look the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bao spent two years of his youth in China, particularly remembering an educational emphasis on endurance, conformity, and self-sacrifice, through intense mathematical study and stories prioritizing the nation over the individual.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack then it seemed pretty normal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Since returning in sixth grade, he has come to prefer American individualism. Yet time in both cultures shaped a worldview skeptical of how much \u201cfree will\u201d people truly have over who they are.<\/p>\n

He believes that behavior is \u201cvery heavily influenced by our environment,\u201d rather than chosen character.<\/p>\n

This does not allow him to tolerate cruelty or selfishness, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cA little bit of kindness and thoughtfulness in your interactions with other people is, I think, something that’s ultimately important,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Siyeon Lee, a close friend and fellow Daily Princetonian writer, sees those values in the way he approaches the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s a deeply analytical person,\u201d She said. \u201cI think he views the world as something that he can sort of dissect and analyze and understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

That drive has called him to become one of the most dedicated head news editors and prolific writers the \u2018Prince\u2019 has seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t really think about myself, and that’s why I like journalism, because you can think about other people,\u201d he said. \u201cThe best interviews come when I try to sort of forget all of my preconceptions and everything I know, and just try and purely hear them out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lee thinks this habit explains why Bao underestimates himself. His journalism \u201clargely stems from\u2026 listening to other people and crafting narratives about them\u201d to the extent that \u201che doesn’t think about himself as much as the average person does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charlie Yale, another close friend from the paper, is more blunt.<\/p>\n

\u201cI take issue with that.\u201d Yale said of Bao\u2019 claim that he is uninteresting. \u201cI think he’s extremely interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yale sees this humility as a reflection of the intense dedication Bao exemplifies. \u201cIf he is going to do something, it\u2019s gonna be done well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bao admits this non-stop work ethic can sometimes verge on neuroticism.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m the kind of person who will ask like five people to read an email before I send it off\u2026or if I misspelled their name even though I checked it like 17 times.\u201d<\/p>\n

While deep in the swing of the paper and his studies at Princeton, Bao suffered health problems relating to stress-based carpal tunnel that led him to take a gap year.<\/p>\n

Such a setback may slow down the average person, but Bao faced it with acceptance and an unstoppable work ethic. He continued to do independent work while at home, and was still ever-present on campus and at coffee dates with his friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is entirely possible that I might not be able to do X, Y, Z in my life. But I just have to somehow come to terms with that and\u2026focus on what I can do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Now back at Princeton, Bao is considering law school despite his love of journalism. \u201cThere are no jobs, there is no pay. You might get assassinated!\u201d he said, but he still loves the field even if not for the long-term.<\/p>\n

Whatever he chooses, Lee says Bao \u201cundersells himself.\u201d In her mind, he would be exactly the kind of person to get the New York Times obituary he joked about.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe would probably work for The New York Times, and then he would die in The New York Times,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

At the very least, he would be well remembered by those who admire his incredible drive and dedication as a journalist but also, as a friend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Devon Williams Chris Bao is a man full of contradictions. He knows that \u201conly some people get obituaries in the New York Times,\u201d yet insists every personal story has value. As former head news editor of The Daily Princetonian, he has written more than 80 stories but can\u2019t find a word to say about<\/p>\n

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