Former Apple Daily Journalist Starts New Media Platform to Fill The Void In Hong Kong Journalism

A newsstand in Hong Kong on Dec. 12, 2015. (Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images)

Even if you are not interested in politics, you might have heard of the dire situations Hongkongers struggle with due to the National Security Law—or how the Beijing and Hong Kong governments violate the fundamental rights of their people.

Hong Kong has experienced a tremendous loss of many talents in a few short years, from medical experts to prestigious professors. They left Hong Kong with their loved ones because they feared what could happen next: what else could the national security law strip away aside from their freedom of speech and universal suffrage?

The media industry became a battlefield and suffered the worst after the implementation of the National Security Law. The government raided pro-democracy news outlets and ceased their operations; the National Security Bureau froze organizations’ assets while arresting and throwing the founders, staff, and executives in jail.

Many reporters and journalists left before the police caught up with them. Some migrated to places as far away as possible, the United Kingdom, Australia, or the United States, to find their freedom, safety, and future. Others, like Shirley Leung Ka-Lai, picked Hong Kong’s neighbor—Taiwan.

With the departure of those who once fought for freedom and democracy, the government’s mouthpieces remain the loudest.

In such chaotic times, some reporters began to preserve history as the government rewrote it by reprinting books and “re-educating” the young.

A Silver Lining

“Let us fulfill our duty as Hongkongers to light up hope in the era of darkness.” That is a motto of an independent media outlet, Photon Media.

A group of journalists from Hong Kong founded Photon Media in Taiwan, including editor-in-chief Shirley Leung.

Leung has been in the media business for over 15 years. She was with Apple Daily for three years until its final days.

She witnessed the news outlet being raided by the police and being forced to shut down by the government.

Reporters’ Reunion in Freedom

Many newly established and independent news outlets consist of groups or former Hong Kong reporters. Photon Media, however, is different since it only reports on Hong Kong news.

Although Stand News and Apple Daily were forced to close, the former staff members continue to contribute to Hong Kong, regardless of where they are physically.

Founded on April 10. Photon Media gained 10,000 followers In less than a week.

Filling the Void

After mainstream pro-democracy newspaper agencies closed, Leung and her friends felt something was missing; a void in the news industry: a lack of diversity of opinion.

Shirley recalled conversing with her friends and realized they wanted to start an online media outlet.

The news the Hong Kong public receives is monotonous: the same pro-government tone. Newspapers in the city became a tool of propaganda

From what Leung described, the journalism industry in the old day comprised harmonies of political voices, opinions, and beliefs. Newspapers were free to publish and debate their viewpoints.

“Even if we were reporting the same news, each agency had its individual angles and styles,” Shirley added.

That was until the National Security Law invaded the once-free atmosphere.

Photon Media reached 10,000 followers less than a week after its launch. (Photon Media's official Facebook page)

Hongkongers Versus. News Fatigue

During the Anti-extradition Protests in 2019, Hongkongers faced police brutality, violence, and arrests of protesters and politicians on the news daily. People started to experience fatigue from watching the traumatizing news every day.

The news was full of helplessness and absurdity. It was understandable why some Hongkongers would rather ignore it.

Soon, some chose to escape it to avoid feeling suffocated.

That, unfortunately, was not an option for Hong Kong journalists.

Leung noted the public atmosphere and discussion forums have become different. There is an emptiness.

Hongkongers become concerned about being monitored by the government’s potential surveillance for their online activities. So they stopped sharing Hong Kong news.

Leung’s mission is to lead more open discussions and awareness of the happenings in Hong Kong by using her new online news platform, Photon Media.

“There is only a little space left in Hong Kong for diverse topics and discussion from the media. Whether monitoring the government or private institutions, our duty as reporters is to return to our rightful post, no matter the circumstance.”

Leung’s determination to keep Hong Kong in the limelight is clear.

Walking away is not always bad

After the closure of Apple Daily, Shirley became an independent journalist and continues to write stories on Facebook, mainly related to protesters during the Hong Kong Protests in 2019.

Like citizens in any dictator-run country, the Chinese regime has wrapped Hong Kong and its people in the thick smog of white terror, as the society lives in constant fear and unease. People are confused as they worry about stepping on the red-hot “land mines” laid down by vague clauses under the National Security Law.

It is incredibly challenging for people who remain in Hong Kong, especially journalists.

Leung admits that compared to a year ago, the situation has become more difficult, “Instead of staying in Hong Kong, I choose to go somewhere where I can continue to write and enjoy freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”

Like many journalists, she left Hong Kong after the government’s targeting of media outlets, pro-democracy organizations, and nonprofit groups.

Hongkongers scattered all over the world.

Dedicated to reporting news on Hong Kong, Leung settled in its neighboring city, Taiwan, because of the similar time zone.

Journalism is a 24-hour job.

After the targeting and closure of Apple Daily, Leung started her own Facebook page to continue her news reporting. (Shirley Leung's Facebook Page)

The Drive to be a Journalist

When the police openly raided Apple Daily and arrested its former founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, in front of millions of Hongkongers, its staff members lost more than a job. They felt defeated and hopeless; some young journalists decided to quit the industry altogether, while the older generations decided early retirement.

Seasoned writers and enthusiastic front-line reporters could not escape the government’s wipeout.

The Cure for Loss of Power

When the path of freedom of the press becomes so narrow that you are walking on a thin wire, there is no choice but to step down for survival. Hong Kong journalists not only lost a career they were passionate about, but they also lost a sense of control over what they could write.

“If you want to overcome the sense of powerlessness, you have to become a person who is able and perseverant, even if it means taking one small step at a time to rediscover your purpose,” Leung affirmed.

Keep the Fight Going

Shirley hopes everyone can do a little and whisper a little more to keep standing with Hong Kong.

As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “What you do may feel insignificant to you, yet it is important that you do it anyway.”

Because, in the end, Hongkongers all need someone to lean on.