Hong Kong: Free press in peril

The silence of Hong Kong’s media outlets is deafening after the government’s seizure of “Apple Daily’s” assets. But for two young men, Pun and Harry, the lack of work is crushing. Formerly a reporter and a photographer for “Apple Daily,” the duo now find themselves at crossroads, uncertain of their future in journalism.

While Pun has won awards for his investigative work, Harry cherishes every photograph published in the newspaper. But with the continuous crackdown on dissent in the city, the duo is not alone in their predicament. “Apple Daily’s” shuttering, following the imposition of the National Security Law, has had a chilling effect on press freedom in the Special Administrative Region. In the eye of the law, a newspaper article can now be viewed as “inciting subversion” or “colluding with foreign forces.” The controversial law threatens to shred the fabric of Hong Kong’s vibrant press industry, and with it, the dreams of many young journalists like Pun and Harry.