Editing Apple Daily (section)

== History ==
''Apple Daily'' was founded on 20 June 1995 by garment businessman [[Jimmy Lai]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=2020-08-10|title=Who Is Jimmy Lai and Why Was the Apple Daily Publisher Arrested in Hong Kong?|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/jimmy-lai-turned-his-apple-daily-into-a-major-advocate-of-democratic-values-11597063584|access-date=2021-06-28|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=16 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221216050359/https://www.wsj.com/articles/jimmy-lai-turned-his-apple-daily-into-a-major-advocate-of-democratic-values-11597063584|url-status=live}}</ref> After the success of ''Next Magazine'', another publication owned by Lai, he launched ''Apple Daily'' with an initial capital of HK$700&nbsp;thousand ($89,750).<ref name="Lee2000">{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Chin-chuan |editor1-last=Lee |editor1-first=Chin-chuan |title=Power, Money, and Media: Communication Patterns and Bureaucratic Control in Cultural China |date=2000 |publisher=Northwestern University Press |location=Illinois, IL |pages=288–336 |chapter=The Paradox of Political Economy: Media Structure, Press Freedom, and Regime Change in Hong Kong}}</ref> Lai, a Catholic himself, 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>{{cite web |script-title=zh:黎智英品味 挑戰台灣 |url=https://udn.com/SPECIAL_ISSUE/DAILY/9002/21a/public7.htm |date=21 February 2000 |language=zh |access-date=20 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041103020843/http://udn.com/SPECIAL_ISSUE/DAILY/9002/21a/public7.htm|archive-date=3 November 2004}}</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">{{cite book|title=The Other Hong Kong Report 1996|first=Clement Y. K.|last=So|editor-first=Mee-Kau|editor-last=Nyaw|editor-first2=Si-Ming|editor-last2=Li|publisher=The Chinese University Press|year=1997|pages=485–506}}</ref>{{rp|487–488}} 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"/>{{rp|488}} In the first month of publication, the newspaper gave out [[coupon]]s 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"/>{{rp|488}} 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"/>{{rp|488}}

A [[price war]] ensued between popular newspapers in response to ''Apple Daily''{{'}}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"/>{{rp|490}} ''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"/>{{rp|490}} 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"/>{{rp|490}}

=== 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>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ejinsight.com/eji/article/id/1003284/20150310-meet-apple-daily-new-female-editor-in-chief|title=Meet Apple Daily's new female editor-in-chief EJINSIGHT - ejinsight.com|website=EJINSIGHT|access-date=3 July 2020|archive-date=4 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704045754/https://www.ejinsight.com/eji/article/id/1003284/20150310-meet-apple-daily-new-female-editor-in-chief|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, ''Apple Daily'' was an award winner of the [[Hong Kong Human Rights Press Awards]] for their reporting on [[Liu Xia (poet)|Liu Xia]], the wife of Chinese human rights activist [[Liu Xiaobo]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 May 2019|title=23rd Human Rights Press Awards (2019) Winners |website=Human Rights Press Awards|url=https://humanrightspressawards.org/23rd-human-rights-press-awards-2019-winners|access-date=23 July 2020|language=en-US|archive-date=12 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512224734/https://humanrightspressawards.org/23rd-human-rights-press-awards-2019-winners|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2020, ''Apple Daily'' launched the English edition of its digital newspaper.<ref name=co_20200710_pro>{{Cite news|last=Walker|first=Tommy|date=1 July 2020|title=Pro-democracy figures remain defiant as Hong Kong faces national security law|language=en-GB|work=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/10/pro-democracy-figures-remain-defiant-hong-kong-faces-national/|access-date=12 August 2020|issn=0307-1235|archive-date=10 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810084855/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/10/pro-democracy-figures-remain-defiant-hong-kong-faces-national/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=appledaily_20200612>{{Cite news|date=1 June 2020|title=Complimentary English Edition Is Available On Apple Daily! Subscribe Now And Show Your Support|work=Apple Daily|url=https://hk.appledaily.com/us/20200612/EGM7ZO5HIAGPCMX7Q5I7LPHMEY/|access-date=11 August 2020|archive-date=23 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723081841/https://hk.appledaily.com/us/20200612/EGM7ZO5HIAGPCMX7Q5I7LPHMEY/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the most recent filings prior to its closure, it had a [[Newspaper circulation|print circulation]] of over 86,000, and its website had approximately 9.6&nbsp;million monthly [[Unique user|unique visitors]] in Hong Kong.<ref name=wsj_11624534789>{{Cite news|last=Yu|first=Elaine|date=24 June 2021|title=Apple Daily Exits From Hong Kong Telling Readers 'Until We Meet Again'|language=en-US|work=The Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-daily-exits-from-hong-kong-telling-readers-until-we-meet-again-11624534789|access-date=25 June 2021|issn=0099-9660|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624124540/https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-daily-exits-from-hong-kong-telling-readers-until-we-meet-again-11624534789|url-status=live}}</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>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliviaenos/2021/07/01/the-closure-of-apple-daily-another-nail-in-the-coffin-for-freedom-in-hong-kong/|title=The Closure Of Apple Daily: Another Nail In The Coffin For Freedom In Hong Kong|first=Olivia|last=Enos|website=Forbes|access-date=11 July 2021|archive-date=11 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711222455/https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliviaenos/2021/07/01/the-closure-of-apple-daily-another-nail-in-the-coffin-for-freedom-in-hong-kong/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="bbc_53734887">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53734887|title=Apple Daily: The Hong Kong newspaper that pushed the boundary|date=24 June 2021|publisher=BBC|access-date=29 June 2021|archive-date=28 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628223250/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-53734887|url-status=live}}</ref> Jimmy Lai was arrested in December 2020 and sentenced to jail in April 2021 relating to the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests|2019–2020 protests]].<ref name=bbc_56770567>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-56770567 |title=Hong Kong: Jimmy Lai sentenced to 14 months for pro-democracy protests |date=16 April 2021 |publisher=BBC |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=15 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515074218/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-56770567 |url-status=live }}</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>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/world/asia/apple-daily-hong-kong.html |title=Apple Daily, Pro-Democracy Newspaper in Hong Kong, Says It Will Close |first1=Austin |last1=Ramzy |first2=Tiffany |last2=May |date=23 June 2021 |work=The New York Times |access-date=23 June 2021 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623091504/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/world/asia/apple-daily-hong-kong.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Film feature ===
''Apple Daily'' was prominently featured in the 2022 film ''[https://thehongkongermovie.com/ The Hong Konger]'' produced by American right-wing think tank [[Acton Institute]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-13 |title=Hong Konger |url=https://thehongkongermovie.com/ |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=The Hong Konger Movie |language=en-US |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530041852/https://thehongkongermovie.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The film had a positive reception among its conservative base, and showcased the final days of ''Apple Daily''<nowiki/>'s operations before being shut down due to the Hong Kong national security law.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-02 |title=Watch The Hong Konger, about Jimmy Lai, Whose Trial Looms |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/watch-the-hong-konger-about-jimmy-lai-whose-trial-looms/ |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=National Review |language=en-US |archive-date=26 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526155017/https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/watch-the-hong-konger-about-jimmy-lai-whose-trial-looms/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-08 |title=The Hong Konger Documentary Is a Lesson on Freedom |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-hong-konger-documentary-is-a-lesson-on-freedom/ |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=National Review |language=en-US |archive-date=30 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240530041601/https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-hong-konger-documentary-is-a-lesson-on-freedom/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Kyle |date=2023-05-18 |title='The Hong Konger' Review: Jimmy Lai's Moral Heroism |language=en-US |work=Wall Street Journal |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hong-konger-review-jimmy-lai-china-freedom-xi-jinping-apple-daily-d3e514f5 |access-date=2023-05-26 |issn=0099-9660 |archive-date=30 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530113245/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-hong-konger-review-jimmy-lai-china-freedom-xi-jinping-apple-daily-d3e514f5 |url-status=live }}</ref>