Apple Daily|蘋果日報
Apple Daily was a newspaper published in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2021. Founded by Jimmy Lai, it was one of the best-selling Chinese language newspapers in Hong Kong. Along with entertainment magazine Next Magazine, Apple Daily was part of Next Digital. The paper published print and digital editions in Traditional Chinese, as well as a digital-only English edition. A sister publication of the same name remains operational online in Taiwan under a joint venture between Next Digital and other Taiwanese companies. On 23 June 2021, the newspaper said it would close "in view of staff members' safety" and the print run of 24 June would be its last. Apple Daily also said its digital version would go offline at 23:59 Hong Kong Time on 23 June.
《蘋果日報》（英語：Apple Daily）是香港上市公司壹傳媒旗下的繁體中文報紙，由黎智英於1995年創立，是香港的主要中文報章。蘋果日報於2021年由於林鄭月娥政府以《中華人民共和國香港特別行政區維護國家安全法》拘捕多名高層並被凍結《蘋果日報》的資金，造成資金斷裂，被迫停刊。
(Screenshot of Apple Daily Frontpage, Courtesy: coconuts.co)
People
- ⚖️ Jimmy Lai|黎智英 — Jimmy Lai (黎智英), founder, sentenced to 20 years (Feb 2026)
Legacy — Five Years On (June 2026)
On the fifth anniversary of the closure, former staff and readers told Nikkei Asia and Focus Taiwan that the paper's disappearance is still felt across Hong Kong's media landscape, where critical voices have narrowed and newer online outlets lack the reach and resources to fill the gap.
- Final edition (June 24, 2021): ~1 million copies printed — Hongkongers queued overnight — after the June 17 newsroom raid, executive arrests, and HK$18m asset freeze cut off the paper's funds. Its digital edition went offline at 23:59 on June 23.
- Former staff reflect: A reporter of ~10 years (pseudonym "Michael") on the homogenised newsstands: "When you walk past a newsstand, everything looks the same. You don't even feel like reading it." Another ("Joan") on jailed colleagues: "We have the freedom to choose, but they don't — and for as long as 10 years." Reader "Lau" said sensitive cases now get scant coverage, with the media's "fourth estate" role "gradually weakened."
- Seven still jailed: founder Jimmy Lai (20 years) plus six senior executives (6 years 9 months to 10 years) — see ⚖️ Jimmy Lai|黎智英 for the case and sentences.
- Exile journalism: former Apple Daily reporter Shirley Leung (梁嘉麗) co-founded and now edits Taiwan-based Photon Media|光傳媒, aiming to "fill the black hole of information" left by the collapse of independent Hong Kong media; sites.standnews (Private) was forced shut later in 2021.
Sources: Nikkei Asia (Kenji Kawase, Jun 24, 2026) · Focus Taiwan (Jun 24, 2026)
Publications
- Apple Daily Publications — Final Edition (2021) & Freedom Summer 2019
Archives
(State: Completed)
Children
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