Apple Daily

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Template:Liberalism in Hong Kong Apple Daily (Template:Lang-zh) was a Chinese-language newspaper published in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2021, with an English-language online edition launched in 2020.<ref name="Steinberger1996">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Founded by Jimmy Lai and part of Next Media, Apple Daily was known for introducing tabloid journalism to Hong Kong and being the city's only mass-circulation newspaper with an editorial position that has been variously described as pro-democracy,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> anti-government,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or anti-China.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In a survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Apple Daily was the third most trusted paid newspaper in 2019.<ref name="CUHK2019">Template:Cite report</ref> In a 2021 Reuters Institute poll, it ranked fourth offline and second online among the most-used news sources in Hong Kong.<ref name="Reuters2021">Template:Cite report</ref>

Apple DailyTemplate:'s editorial position made it a subject of advertising boycotts and political pressure. After the Hong Kong national security law was enacted, police raided its headquarters on 10 August 2020.<ref name="cbc_177432326754">Template:Cite news</ref> On 17 June 2021, Hong Kong authorities froze the assets of Lai and his company,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="closure-bbc" /> which was described as an attack on press freedom<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and thus forced the paper to cease operations.<ref name="reuters_20210623">Template:Cite news</ref> The final issue was published on 24 June, with over one million copies being printed (up from the usual 80,000).<ref name="davidson" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The newspaper's YouTube channels were shut down at midnight on the same day.

History

Apple Daily was founded on 20 June 1995 by garment businessman Jimmy Lai.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the success of Next Magazine, another publication owned by Lai, he launched Apple Daily with an initial capital of HK$700 thousand ($89,750).<ref name="Lee2000">Template:Cite book</ref> Lai, a Catholic, named Apple Daily after the forbidden fruit, which he said if Adam and Eve did not eat, there would be no evil and no news.<ref name=udn_20000221>Template:Cite web</ref>

Price war

The newspaper launched against a poor economy and a competitive Chinese-language newspaper market. Political uncertainties from Lai's criticisms of the Chinese government also made media analysts pessimistic about the future of Apple.<ref name="So1997">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Its launch was teased by television advertisements where Lai was portrayed with an apple on his head, which would have been a shooting target for its competitors.<ref name="So1997"/>Template:Rp In the first month of publication, the newspaper gave out coupons which effectively reduced the cover price to HK$2 ($0.25), despite a standardised retail price of HK$5 per issue set by the Newspaper Society of Hong Kong. The price was restored to $5 after a month, but the newspaper switched to promotion with T-shirts and coloured posters.<ref name="So1997"/>Template:Rp The campaign boosted Apple Daily to 200,000 copies on its first day, to become the newspaper with the second highest circulation in Hong Kong.<ref name="So1997"/>Template:Rp

A price war ensued between popular newspapers in response to Apple DailyTemplate:'s entry into the market. Oriental Daily dropped its price to $2 from $5 per issue in December 1995. Other newspapers, such as Sing Pao and Tin Tin Daily followed suit.<ref name="So1997"/>Template:Rp Apple Daily reduced its retail price to $4 one day after Oriental Daily announced a 10 per cent drop in its circulation.<ref name="So1997"/>Template:Rp As a result, a number of newspapers collapsed: TV Daily ceased operations on the first day of the price war, Hong Kong United Daily, China Times magazine, and English newspaper Eastern Express, a sister newspaper of Oriental Daily, collapsed soon afterwards.<ref name="So1997"/>Template:Rp

In 2003, Lai founded a sister publication of the same name in Taiwan (see Apple Daily (Taiwan)).

Editorial history

In March 2015, Chan Pui-man became the first female chief editor of the journal, replacing Ip Yut-kin.<ref name=ejinsight_20150310>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, Apple Daily was an award winner of the Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards for their reporting on Liu Xia, the wife of Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2020, Apple Daily launched the English edition of its digital newspaper.<ref name=co_20200710_pro>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=appledaily_20200612>Template:Cite news</ref> According to the most recent filings prior to its closure, it had a print circulation of over 86,000, and its website had approximately 9.6 million monthly unique visitors in Hong Kong.<ref name=wsj_11624534789>Template:Cite news</ref>

The paper became the target of the Hong Kong authorities after its very strong and vocal support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong.<ref name=forbes_20210701_closure>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="bbc_53734887">Template:Cite web</ref> Jimmy Lai was arrested in December 2020 and sentenced to jail in April 2021 relating to the 2019–2020 protests.<ref name=bbc_56770567>Template:Cite news</ref> The offices of the paper were raided in 2020, its accounts frozen and five people including its editor Ryan Law and CEO Cheung Kim-hung were arrested in 2021.<ref name=hongkongfp /><ref name="bbc-apple-daily"/> The paper announced its closure on 23 June 2021.<ref name=bbc_53734887/><ref name=nytimes_20210623_world>Template:Cite news</ref>

Film feature

Apple Daily was prominently featured in the 2022 film The Hong Konger produced by American right-wing think tank Acton Institute.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film had a positive reception among its conservative base, and showcased the final days of Apple Daily's operations before being shut down due to the Hong Kong national security law.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Content

The newspaper was modelled after USA Today, with printing in full colour and concise writing.<ref name="Lee2000"/> It also extensively used written Cantonese,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> when most Hong Kong newspapers used written vernacular Chinese,<ref name="Snow">Template:Cite book</ref> and a focus on reporting crime, celebrity news, eroticism, gambling, and drug use.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> It carried at least three pages of entertainment news at the beginning but this was increased to eight pages by 2000.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp

Apple Daily is described to have introduced tabloid journalism to Hong Kong.<ref name=wsj_944517810654>Template:Cite news</ref> The focus on large colourful graphics and more sensationalist stories, such as celebrity scandals, traffic accidents and deaths, quickly made Apple Daily Hong Kong's second most popular newspaper.<ref name="Weisenhaus2005">Template:Cite journal</ref> This type of journalism has also been replicated by other newspapers in Hong Kong.<ref name="Weisenhaus2005"/>

Apple Daily attracted public criticism in 1998 for a report about a woman who jumped off a building after pushing her children out the window. The woman's husband was widely reported to have little remorse for the deaths of his wife and children. Apple Daily published a photo of the man with two prostitutes soon after the deaths. It was then revealed that the newspaper had paid the man to pose for the photograph, for which Apple Daily issued an apology after a public outcry.<ref name="Weisenhaus2005"/> In the same year, Apple Daily ran a front-page article claiming that a lawyer absconded with more than Template:HKD of clients' money for her law firm. Apple Daily was ordered by a court to pay the lawyer more than Template:HKD in damages for defamation.<ref name="SCMP-def">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2000, an Apple Daily reporter was sentenced to 10 months in jail for bribing police officers for information on criminal cases.<ref name=on_20030527>Template:Cite web</ref>

Journalism scholar Paul Lee said the establishment of Apple Daily has changed the Hong Kong newspaper ecosystem by transforming broadsheet newspapers into tabloids.<ref name="paullee">Template:Cite book</ref> Lee said newspapers with a high circulation, such as Apple Daily, The Sun and Oriental Daily, are known for their tabloid journalism as well as making mainstream reporting (see middle-market newspaper).<ref name="paullee"/> Apple Daily did not join the self-regulation panel of the Newspaper Society of Hong Kong.<ref name="paullee"/>

Apple Daily was also known for its coverage of breaking news and current affairs in Hong Kong<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and China.<ref name="Steinberger1996" /> The newspaper had exclusive reports on political scandals, including member of the Legislative Council Cheng Kai-nam not reporting conflict of interest in 2000,<ref name=scmp_324502>Template:Cite web</ref> and former Financial Secretary Antony Leung for avoiding tax when purchasing a car.

Editorial position

Apple Daily favoured the Hong Kong pro-democracy camp.<ref name="So1999">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Its criticism of the Hong Kong government has been described as a marketing strategy.<ref name="LeeLin2006">Template:Cite journal</ref> According to Fung (2007), the newspaper is also said to have sensationalised politics and produced public dissent.<ref name="Fung2007">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp In 2003, Apple Daily was critical of the second Tung Chee-hwa administration and encouraging readers to participate in pro-democracy demonstrations with its front-page headline.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> It launched a social media campaign in support of students in the 2014 Hong Kong protests<ref name="Lin2017">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Rp and its social media presence was considered a mainstream pro-activist community.<ref>Template:Cite conference</ref>

Apple Daily was also known for xenophobia against tourists and migrants from mainland China. In 2012, it published an advertisement that portrayed mainland Chinese mothers who travelled to Hong Kong to give birth as locusts. The advertisement, paid for by users of HKGolden, popularised the use of locust to describe mainland Chinese in Facebook groups and flash mobs in areas popular with mainland tourists.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp

Critical of the Chinese government,<ref name="Fung2007"/>Template:Rp it was the only newspaper in Hong Kong that expressed optimism when Chen Shui-bian was re-elected President of the Republic of China in 2004.<ref name="Fung2007"/>

The editorial position against the Hong Kong and Chinese governments has resulted in advertising boycotts. In 2003, several major property developers in Hong Kong ended their advertisements in the newspaper. According to Mark Simon, an executive of Next Digital, HSBC, Hang Seng and Standard Chartered stopped advertising in the newspaper in 2013 due to pressure from the Chinese government's Liaison Office. However, the Liaison Office denied it had contacted the banks,<ref name=wsj_1402923219>Template:Cite news</ref> and the banks said they pulled advertising for commercial reasons.<ref name=economist_21607879>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=reuters_20141031>Template:Cite news</ref>

Apple Daily also said Chinese-sponsored hackers have attacked it almost every week.<ref name="Reuters2015-AppleDaily">Template:Cite news</ref> FireEye said in 2014 that denial-of-service attacks on Apple Daily were professional cyberattacks that may have been coordinated by the Chinese government.<ref name="Reuters2015-AppleDaily"/>

Support for Donald Trump and misinformation against Hunter Biden

During the 2020 presidential election cycle in the United States, Lai and columnists began to publish opinion pieces in Apple Daily supporting Donald Trump and criticising the Democratic Party.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=theatlantic_616891>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September and October 2020, the newspaper published a factually inaccurate 64-page report produced by Typhoon Investigations alleging that Hunter Biden was connected with the Chinese Communist Party, which was later cited by far-right influencers such as Steve Bannon and Guo Wengui.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NBC News reported that the Typhoon Investigations was linked to a fake author and intelligence firm. The original poster of the dossier, Christopher Balding, admitted that he wrote parts of the document and later stated that the dossier had been commissioned by Apple Daily.<ref name=nbcnews_1245387>Template:Cite news</ref> Lai later said that he was not connected to the dossier but said his senior executive, Mark Simon, had worked with the project.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Simon resigned following the NBC News report and apologised for having "allowed damage to Jimmy on a matter he was completely in the dark on".<ref name=theguardian_20201031_jimmy>Template:Cite news</ref>

In October 2024, president-elect Donald Trump (also known alongside Lai for anti-Chinese xenophobia), during an interview with a host who said that Lai was "very important to America's Catholics and the world's Catholics" and asked whether Trump would speak to CCP general secretary Xi Jinping about "getting Jimmy Lai out and out of the country," replied "100 per cent yes."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2020 national security law raid

The Hong Kong offices of Apple Daily were raided by over 200 national security officers on 10 August 2020, following the arrest of Lai the previous day for violations of the recently implemented national security law.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=bbc_53717843>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=washingtonpost_20200809_d7312f20/> Lai's two sons, four senior executives of Next Digital and three social activists, were also arrested on the same day.<ref name=washingtonpost_20200809_d7312f20/><ref name="Mainichi Daily News">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> The arrests, coming amid Beijing's ongoing crackdown against many pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong, drew condemnation from international governments and human rights groups.<ref name="reuters.com">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=cnn_20200809_media>Template:Cite web</ref> Lai and other arrestees reportedly faced charges of "foreign collusion", which included advocating for foreign sanctions, based on the broad definitions of the national security law.<ref name=co_20200812_asia>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=channelnewsasia_13012336>Template:Cite web</ref> Earlier in the week, the United States had placed sanctions on 11 high-profile Hong Kong officials involved in the city's democratic suppression.<ref name=washingtonpost_20200809_d7312f20/><ref name=vox_21358643>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=economist_20200810_jimmy>Template:Cite news</ref>

The police raid lasted nine hours, as the officers rifled through the business property and carted off 25 boxes of documents.<ref name="theweek.in">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=cnbc_20200810_hong>Template:Cite web</ref> The police search warrant did not disclose what they were looking for in the headquarters.<ref name=euronews_20200810_hong>Template:Cite web</ref> The police also brought Lai into the office for two and a half hours and paraded him through the newsroom in handcuffs,<ref name=taipeitimes_2003741464>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=qz_1890187>Template:Cite web</ref> an act possibly aimed at humiliating Lai and to silence the press.<ref name=nypost_20200811_jimmy>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The raid was live streamed by Apple reporters.<ref name=washingtonpost_20200809_d7312f20>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=forbes_20200810_hong>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=reuters_idUSKCN25610W>Template:Cite news</ref> The streaming footage included a tense moment when the policed shoved an editor for questioning the boundaries of the search.<ref name=":4" /> The police ordered for the live broadcast to be stopped, but the staff member continued filming the raid, arguing press freedom.<ref name=scmp_3096812>Template:Cite web</ref>

Next Digital released a statement condemning the police raid and declared, "Hong Kong's press freedom is now hanging by a thread, but our staff will remain fully committed to our duty to defend the freedom of the press."<ref name=appledaily_20200811>Template:Cite web</ref>

Police conduct

Media access was restricted during the raid, with only media sources trusted by the police being allowed.<ref name=hongkongfp_20200811_apple>Template:Cite web</ref> During the police news conferences conducted to provide updates about the search, numerous news outlets including Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, RTHK and Stand News were barred.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> The media representatives allowed to remain were denied questions.<ref name=washingtonpost_20200809_d7312f20/>

During the raid, the Next Media Trade Union protested the police reading through the confidential news materials in the newsroom.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Steve Li Kwai-wah, the Senior Superintendent from the new National Security Department, said they searched the area since one of the arrestees had an office on the assigned floor.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=appledaily_20200812>Template:Cite web</ref> Li also said the officers only "scanned" the materials to confirm their relevance to the case.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=mingpao_159708502081>Template:Cite web</ref> Legal scholar Johannes Chan later criticised the move, stating that even a quick scan jeopardised the confidentiality in news reporting.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

International response

International communities responded to Apple Daily's raid with condemnation, with global organisations highlighting the erosion of press freedom in Hong Kong.<ref name=cbc_177432326754/><ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> Amnesty International spoke against the harassment of journalists, and called for all criminal charges related to the national security law to be dropped.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Asia Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA-Asia) expressed their support for Apple Daily, and urged Hong Kong's leaders to uphold the values of free speech.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Keith Richburg, a journalism professor at the University of Hong Kong, described the "frightening prospect" for journalists to operate under the national security law.<ref name=npr_901064477>Template:Cite news</ref> Christophe Deloire, the Secretary General at Reporters Without Borders, said that "the Hong Kong government clearly seeks to take down a symbolic figure of press freedom."<ref name=":1" /><ref name=asiapacificreport_20200811_rsf>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) in Hong Kong was also critical about the police's obstruction of news coverage during the raid, raising worries about propaganda in the absence of press freedom.<ref name=":2" /> Human Rights Watch stated that the raid on Apple Daily may be motivated by a desire to censor an independent Chinese media outlet.<ref name=":0" /> The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the national security law was used to "suppress critical pro-democracy opinion and restrict press freedom", and called for Lai's immediate release.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Activist groups in Taiwan advocated for further international sanctions on Chinese government officials to support the arrestees.<ref name=taipeitimes_2003741526>Template:Cite web</ref>

Government officials around the world condemned Lai's arrest and the police raid on Apple Daily.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, expressed her disappointment over the continuous erosion of Hong Kong's human rights and democracy.<ref name=or_20200811>Template:Cite news</ref> Mike Pompeo, the United States Secretary of State, said that Beijing eviscerated Hong Kong's freedoms.<ref name=":3" /> Yoshihide Suga, the Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, voiced grave concern over Hong Kong's situation following the arrests.<ref name="Mainichi Daily News"/> In contrast, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian approved of the mass arrests on the pro-democracy figures, stating that the Chinese government supported the national security law.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Aftermath

After the raid, the executives at Apple Daily vowed to resume their daily operations.<ref name="reuters.com"/> Following a surge of popular demand, Apple announced the plan to print 350,000 copies for their Tuesday publication – a significant increase from their daily circulation of 70,000 copies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The print run was later set at 550,000 printed copies.<ref name=":02">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> A social media campaign encouraging the public to buy the newspaper was launched, and received backing of activist Joshua Wong, singer Pong Nan, and lawmaker Ted Hui.<ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref> Apple Daily also uploaded a live stream of their print production process.<ref name=":22">Template:Cite web</ref>

On 11 August, the Tuesday newspaper was published with the front-page headline declaring, "Apple Daily must fight on."<ref name=reuters_257031>Template:Cite news</ref> Tsang Chi-ho, the former presenter of satirical news show Headliner, included a blank space in his regular column that simply said, "You can't kill us all."<ref name=":32">Template:Cite web</ref> Many Hong Kong residents lined up overnight at newspaper vendors to buy the first printed copies.<ref name=theguardian_20200811_hong>Template:Cite news</ref> Readers also purchased the newspapers in bulk, distributing free copies around the city.<ref name=":32" /><ref name="theweek.in"/> Within hours, multiple convenience stores had sold out all their copies.<ref name=":12" /> The high demand came from readers who wanted to show their support towards Apple Daily and preserve press freedom in Hong Kong.<ref name=":22" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On the day of the arrests, Next Digital's shares originally fell by 16.7% to a record low of HK$0.075.<ref name=fortune_20200810_jimmy>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> An online campaign then emerged, which encouraged supporters to purchase stock in the company.<ref name=afr_20200811>Template:Cite web</ref> Following the campaign, the stock experienced a 1100% gain over the next two days, reaching a record high in the past seven years.<ref name=":02" /><ref name=bloomberg_20200811_a>Template:Cite news</ref> On Tuesday, the stock closed at HK$1.10 and became the third highest performer on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that day.<ref name=":5" /><ref name=appledaily_IDMYC7ENY6IGWPPKG7SKK3MT4Y>Template:Cite web</ref> On Wednesday, the shares fell over 40% after the Securities and Futures Commission issued a warning about the high volatility.<ref name=yahoo_094229917>Template:Cite web</ref> A probe by police into alleged market manipulation led to the arrest of 15 suspects on 10 September 2020.<ref name=hongkongfp_20200911_hong>Template:Cite web</ref>

Lai was released in the early morning of 12 August after 40 hours in detention.<ref name=bangkokpost_1967059>Template:Cite news</ref> Later that day, he arrived at the Apple Daily newsroom, and was met with cheers from employees.<ref name=or_20200812>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> He urged staff members to fight on, with the support of the Hong Kong people, and not let them down.<ref name=hongkongfp_20200812_arrested>Template:Cite web</ref>

2021 arrests and closure

File:Apple Daily last issue.png

Home page of Apple Daily website announcing its closure: "National security agents raid Apple, all activities cease at midnight; final edition tomorrow (24 June 2021). Thank you for your support"

The assets of three companies, Apple Daily Limited, Apple Daily Printing Limited, and AD Internet Limited, as well as accounts belonging to Jimmy Lai worth more than HK$500 million, having already been frozen on 14 May 2021,<ref name=scmp_3133541>Template:Cite news</ref> a 500-strong contingent of police officers raided Apple DailyTemplate:'s headquarters on 17 June. They arrested CEO Cheung Kim-hung, COO Royston Chow, chief editor Ryan Law, associate publisher Chan Pui-man and platform director of Apple Daily Digital, Cheung Chi-wai, and charged them on suspicion of violating Article 29 of the national security law, which outlaws collusion with external forces to endanger national security.<ref name=hongkongfp>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> HK$18m ($2.3m; £1.64m) of the companies' assets were frozen.<ref name="bbc_53734887"/>

Apple Daily warned that press freedom in Hong Kong was "hanging by a thread."<ref name=france24_20210617>Template:Cite news</ref>

The raid and arrests were criticised by the United States,<ref name=scmp_3137756>Template:Cite news</ref> European Union, and the United Kingdom,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as well as the United Nations' human rights spokesperson.<ref name=reuters_20210618>Template:Cite news</ref> The Chinese central government has rejected the criticism that the national security law was used to suppress press freedom and said external forces should "stop undermining Hong Kong's rule of law on the pretext of press freedom".<ref name=xinhuanet_1310014071>Template:Cite news</ref> Supporters in Hong Kong showed support for the newspaper by buying it, which increased its print run to 500,000 the day after the arrests.<ref name=theguardian_20210618_hongkongers>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 21 June, the paper announced it would have to close unless the accounts were unfrozen, as it was unable to pay its staff or support operating costs.<ref name="bbc-apple-daily">Template:Cite news</ref> On 23 June, the newspaper said it would close "in view of staff members' safety" and the print run of 24 June would be its last.<ref name=davidson>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="closure-bbc">Template:Cite news</ref> Apple Daily also said its digital version would go offline at 23:59 Hong Kong Time (UTC+8) on 23 June.<ref name=appledaily_20210623>Template:Cite web</ref>

Activists backed up the news articles from Apple Daily on various blockchain platforms to ensure the content was available and free from Chinese censorship.<ref name=dailynewsbrief_20210625_censored>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2023, the domain itself was taken over, in a move known as domain squatting, by Serbian entrepreneur Nebojša Vujinović who used the website to post AI-generated clickbait articles on a range of topics, none of them related to the position of Apple Daily before the takeover.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Apple editorialist "Li Ping" (Yeung Ching-kei) was arrested on 23 June "on suspicion of conspiring to collude with foreign countries or foreign forces to endanger national security",<ref name=hongkongfp_20210628_security>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=theguardian_20210623_police-arrest-editorial-writer>Template:Cite web</ref> Fung Wai-kong, editor-in-chief of the English news section at Apple, was arrested on 27 June at Hong Kong International Airport while attempting to flee the city.<ref name=hongkongfp_20210628_security/> <ref name=theguardian_20210628_fung_arrest>Template:Cite web</ref>

Reactions

United States President Joe Biden released a statement that, "It is a sad day for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world. Intensifying repression by Beijing has reached such a level that Apple Daily, a much-needed bastion of independent journalism in Hong Kong, has now ceased publishing. Through arrests, threats, and forcing through a National Security Law that penalizes free speech, Beijing has insisted on wielding its power to suppress independent media and silence dissenting views."<ref name=whitehouse_20210624_statement>Template:Cite web</ref> The European Union released a statement that "the National Security Law imposed by Beijing is being used to stifle freedom of the press and the free expression of opinions" and that closure of Apple "undermines media freedom and pluralism",<ref name=thestandard_175288>Template:Cite web</ref> a sentiment also shared by UK Foreign Minister Dominic Raab.<ref name=ft_099347>Template:Cite web</ref> Taiwan similarly called the closure "political oppression" and that it "sounded the death knell for freedom of press, publication, and speech in Hong Kong".<ref name=euronews_20210624_us>Template:Cite news</ref> Japanese government spokesperson Katsunobu Kato called the paper's closure a "major setback" for freedom of speech and freedom of the press in Hong Kong and voiced grave concerns over the situation.<ref name=kyodonews_15537408>Template:Cite web</ref> Amnesty International said that the "forced closure of Apple Daily is the blackest day for media freedom in Hong Kong's recent history".<ref name="closure reuter">Template:Cite web</ref>

People queue to buy the final print edition of Apple Daily in Mong Kok.

Chinese state-owned newspaper Global Times described Apple Daily as "secessionist" and quoted Chinese commentators as saying that the closure is the "end of an era in which foreign proxies and secessionist forces meddled in China's internal affairs".<ref name=sinocism_20210624>Template:Cite news</ref> The Chinese foreign minister said that "no one or no organisation is above the law. All rights and freedom, including media freedom, cannot go beyond the bottom line of national security."<ref name="closure reuter" /> North Korea has condemned Apple Daily and has accused foreign countries of foreign interference in Hong Kong.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The final print issue of the paper was met with high demand and sold out, despite a million copies being printed compared to the usual 80,000.<ref name=independent_1871770>Template:Cite news</ref> Hong Kongers formed long queues and waited for hours to buy the final edition of the paper.<ref name=theguardian_20210624_hong>Template:Cite news</ref>

The European Parliament passed a motion by 578 votes to 29, with 73 abstentions, on Thursday, 8 July 2021, condemning "in the strongest terms the recent forced closure of [Apple Daily], the continued freezing of its assets and the arrests of its journalists." It also demanded the Hong Kong government to "stop harassing and intimidating journalists, release arbitrarily detained prisoners, and denounces any attempts to muzzle pro-democracy activists and their activities" and called for the imposition of sanctions on Hong Kong officials. In turn, the Chinese government rejected the parliament's "smears and slanders".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Editors-in-Chief

1. Loh Chan (1995–1996)
2. Ip Yut-kin (1996–2002)
3. Lam Ping-hang (2003–2006)
4. Cheng Ming-yan (2006–2011)
5. Cheung Kim-hung (2012–2015)
6. Chan Pui-man (2015–2017)
7. Ryan Law Wai-kwong (2017–2021)

See also

• Media of Hong Kong
  • List of newspapers in Hong Kong
• Channel C: media outlet founded by former Apple Daily employees

External links

• Template:Official websiteTemplate:Dead link Template:In lang