🍎 Let’s Talk About Apple Daily 🗞️
Must have been over twenty years ago, a family friend invited us to visit the printing factory of Apple Daily in Hong Kong. I barely remember the building, but I can somehow visualize the space.
It feels like a lifetime ago. It was a lifetime ago.
Perhaps it was because I watched the arrests and search videos. Those footage must have reignited some hidden memory in me.
The massive printing machines looked oily and dirty. There were rolls and rolls of industrial paper towering over us, I felt so small in comparison.
Apple Daily always stood out as an unafraid and proud voice for pro-democracy Hongkongers. At that age, I did not care enough to read the news nor attempt to engage in the city’s civil affairs and social issues.
My biggest frustration with Apple Daily was the icky feeling of inked paper residue on my hands, I was always tasked to go to 7-11 to grab a copy for my family. I would always ask for a plastic bag from the clerk. Once I toss the Apple Daily into the bag, I would run home to wash my hands to rid that gross feeling.
How could I understand the significant of Apple Daily and its mission?
My school exclusively distributed Ta Kung Pao, a state-owned Chinese language newspaper. My school teachers were loyal to the establishment, they encouraged us to read state propaganda and embody our Chinese-ness. The students were taught to obey without question.
(Un)fortunately I was never the star student: I questioned why Hong Kong was considered as part of China. I questioned what would happen after the 50 years. I questioned how Hongkongers have no say in our future.
Needless to say, those questions were never answered by adults. Most think I was too young to think about that. Some were too loyal to Beijing. Others were afraid to say what they really think. But I never stopped thinking about these questions and eventually - I came to my own conclusions.
Over the summer of 2021, my friends mailed me the last edition of Apple Daily, they wanted me to own and preserve this piece of living history. For weeks, my friends and I were wondering if the borders and customs officers confiscated the package. When it finally arrived, I carefully unwrapped the layers and layers of plastic packaging, afraid to wrinkle the papers inside. Holding the last edition of Apple Daily in my hands, the feeling of ink on my fingers didn't feel gross anymore. I was overwhelmed with sadness and anger that this would be the last time that I feel the ink of a Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper on my fingertips.
As a Hongkonger dissident, I was never shy about critiquing Apple Daily’s tabloid approach to journalism and at times - skewed coverage. But that does not conflict with my deepest respect for Apple Daily’s core mission: to provide news coverage that are critical of the Chinese and Hong Kong government.
Thinking back, those rolls of paper felt humongous.
Perhaps I was just a little girl, everything was huge compared to my tiny little body. Or maybe those rolls of paper were as grand as I remember them to be, holding history yet to be printed.
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Stephen Vines
I started writing this piece from a place of vulnerability, cautious that I would disclose too much information that may bring harm to those around me. This piece has lived in my notes for the past five years and I am finally ready to share.
