Therefore, I dug up the precious copies of the first issues of Next Magazine and Apple Daily from my pile of old belongings.

My heart was beating. Finally, this is the day we have come to.

I am neither a collector nor a hoarder. Perhaps this magazine and this newspaper had caught people’s attention with the feeling that this was the beginning of an era and wanted to get their hands on a copy. Time proved that Next Magazine and Apple Daily have indeed launched a new era.

Apple Daily was founded on June 20, 1995. It was printed in full color, with the tagline “An apple a day keeps the fake news away” on the masthead. It was sold for a discounted price of HK$2 (US$0.25) and triggered a reduction in the price of newspapers. The headline of the inaugural issue on the front page was the unveiling of the Chief Executive tug-o-war, accompanied by an interview with Chris Patten. On the front page, another piece of news occupied the bottom portion, titled, “Brain smashed and splashed all over wall”. This was the first taste of the other side of Apple Daily’s infamous sensationalism. On the inside pages, short columns and essays by Lilian Lee and Wong Yuk-man were placed on the second page for the first time ever.

Today, what brings tears to the eyes is the inaugural editorial titled “Apple Daily: we belong to Hong Kong”, if Hong Kong falls, how would Apple Daily survive on its own? The first paragraph of the editorial wasted no words: “We want to be a newspaper for Hongkongers.” “Are we not afraid of the changes 1997 could bring about? We are, but we are not willing to be daunted by fear. We are not willing to be beclouded by pessimism. Positively and optimistically, we will face the future, for we are Hongkongers!”

The editorial posed a question: “Under the watchful eyes of the entire world, who would dare to make rash moves on Hong Kong?” The answer to that has been stamped all over the faces of the national security police. A single law that trumps all laws. A single claim of “national security” that imprisons before trial, appoints specific judges, and freezes assets; a single call of “national security” that allows for searches newsrooms and arrests of editors, grants national security police the permission to directly confiscate journalists’ reporting materials, absurdly call on everyone to cut ties, and threaten not to “involve oneself in suspicion”; a single sound of “national security” that wipes out all cornerstones of freedom, human rights, and the rule of law.

“What we want is the support of readers, not the backing of any forces.” This very line from the inaugural editorial still echoes today.

“We are convinced that Hongkongers who are accustomed to freedom will not stay silent in the face of unreasonable restrictions and unfair treatments, for Hongkongers are born with a passion for freedom.”

To conclude: “With loyalty, we will stick to our posts and work hard, to be proud Hongkongers through and through.”

Today, “hold to our posts and do our best” is not a perfunctory remark to be said lightly; today, this simple wish could lead to imprisonment or murder at any moment. The five executives of Apple Daily, all of the editors and reporters, you have upheld your mission. In the face of the crushing red torrent, you are standing tall and upright. You have truly exemplified the proclamation of the inaugural editorial. You have been honest, good Hongkongers through and through.

(Allan Au Ka-lun, veteran journalist)

This article is translated from Chinese by Apple Daily.

Click here for Chinese version

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