Hong Kong’s Apple Daily maintained editorial stance with some concessions after founder Jimmy Lai held, court hears

Ex-associate publisher Chan Pui-man says the newspaper’s ‘overall approach’ remained the same after Lai’s prosecution under the national security law in December 2020

‘My recollection was that apart from changing our choice of words, [nobody] had ever suggested changing our news angle,’ says defendant turned prosecution witness Chan

3-MIN READ3-MIN

Apple Daily sold in a Mong Kok newsstand in 2021. Prosecutors accused media tycoon Jimmy Lai of using the tabloid to instigate public hatred towards authorities. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 7:15pm, 27 Feb 2024Updated: 8:22pm, 27 Feb 2024

Hong Kong’s now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid maintained its editorial stance despite founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying being remanded in custody for an alleged national security offence, but some concessions were made to avoid offending the authorities, a court has heard.

Ex-associate publisher Chan Pui-man said on Tuesday the newspaper’s “overall approach” remained the same after Lai’s prosecution under the national security law Beijing decreed in December 2020.

“Because to my understanding, we had not been directly accused of wrongdoing in our news reports, so my recollection was that apart from changing our choice of words, [nobody] had ever suggested changing our news angle,” said defendant turned prosecution witness Chan.

Lai, 76, is being tried on two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces, as well as a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications under colonial-era legislation.

Prosecutors accused Lai of using Apple Daily to instigate public hatred towards the authorities and attract hostile actions from foreign governments, such as sanctions on mainland Chinese and Hong Kong officials.

West Kowloon Court heard the tabloid with 26 years of history had become more cautious in covering sensitive topics and running commentaries in the days leading up to its shutdown in June 2021.

On April 18 that year, editor-in-chief Ryan Law Wai-kwong decided Apple Daily would stop calling Covid-19 the “Wuhan pneumonia” in its coronavirus coverage.