“Next Media Group announced in advance that the “final chapter” will be celebrated on Saturday (26th). The online version of Apple Daily will be suspended from the early hours of Thursday morning, and the same day will be the last day to see the Apple newspaper. Next Magazine will also bid farewell to Hong Kong people. The management made up its mind in advance because the National Security Police continued to take arrest actions, which made the staff afraid to go to work.
Last week, the top management of Apple Daily was arrested again and its funds were frozen, facing a life-or-death situation. “The directors of Next Media Group were scheduled to meet on Friday (25) to discuss whether to continue operations, but less than a week later (23), another Apple employee was arrested, and the person arrested was Li Ping, the lead author of the Apple Theory.
According to the announcement of Next Media Group’s Board of Directors, Apple Daily’s management decided to cease operations immediately after midnight based on staff safety and staffing considerations, and the last physical newspaper will be published on Thursday (24th).
The Apple expressed its gratitude to readers, subscribers, advertisers and Hong Kong people for their support over the past 26 years, and left a final message of “Farewell, Hong Kong people, cherish you.”
Press release announcing the cessation of publication of Hong Kong’s Apple Daily. (Apple Daily)
Next Magazine bids farewell to its president: it is an honorable end to this point
Next Magazine, which is also part of the Next Media Group and has a history of 31 years, announced on Wednesday on the social media platform Facebook that it will cease publication and bid farewell to readers.
The president of Next Magazine, Wong Lai-sheung, said in an interview with the station on the same day that it would only look ahead now and hope to handle the subsequent arrangements for the dismissal of colleagues, evacuation and related clients. She continued that the end of Next Magazine, which has a history of 31 years, is the most unforgettable day for her.
The decision has been made and there is no suspense, that’s all I can say,” said Wong. I will do my best for our staff and customers, and I thank them for supporting us. I hope to do a decent job in the end.
In an earlier post on social media platforms, Liz Wong recalled the history of Next Magazine’s major reforms.
She lamented that until June of this year, “the editorial team believed that Next Magazine had reached its end point in the big time.” She tells her colleagues who still have a glimmer of hope that “there are no illusions,” and that “all colleagues have worked hard for Next Magazine in the past and enjoyed the freedom to do news, so they have no regrets.”
Former staff of Next Magazine: There is always a newspaper and magazine that represents Hong Kong people
The Next Magazine former photographer Guo Sheng has joined before the return, serving for more than 10 years, he was interviewed by this station, grateful to have experienced the golden period in the Next Magazine, even if it was hard in the past, every July 1 and encountered intimidation, but he has long been used to it, and more convinced that they are doing something meaningful, so never afraid. He hopes that the people of Hong Kong will understand that the closure of Next Media is not voluntary, but a persecution by the regime. And Hong Kong’s view of journalism is “not what it used to be”.
Mr. Kwok said: “If there is no Apple Daily or Next Magazine today, there will be a second media outlet tomorrow. As long as Hong Kong people’s thirst for the truth is not extinguished, there will always be someone out there, and there will always be a media, newspapers and magazines that represent Hong Kong people.
The reporter of “Apple”, Mr. Li Sheng, who has already left the company, told the station that his colleagues had a very hard time in the past week, saying that they were psychologically prepared, but not to “cry and wait for something to happen”.
Apple” the end of the local online media to become the next liquidation object?
One of the local online media “independent media” editor-in-chief Huang Junbang said in an interview with our station, “Apple” the end of all media daily editorial, decision-making, and even staff morale are affected, we will think, “whether we can continue to do, will there be danger?
Huang Junbang said: We are not directly intimidated, but there must be psychological pressure. You see peers in this situation, there must inevitably be a lot of psychological pressure.
He continued, although the current local independent media can still operate, but it is difficult to ensure that the future space is narrowed again. After the end of “Apple”, he does not agree that the last line of defense to uphold freedom of the press falls on the local media or online media, the reason is to operate in an institutional manner is the old model, there is no shortage of independent journalists or self-media on the Internet, to fill the role of traditional media, to operate in an institutional manner may face greater risks, it is estimated that the future will decline to self-media or independent journalists, commentators, citizens to take up the freedom of reporting It is estimated that in the future, there will be a decline to independent journalists, commentators and citizens to assume the responsibility of reporting freedom.
Recent Comments