Q: Is Apple Daily still publishing? The original Hong Kong edition was forced to close in June 2021 after the government froze its assets under the National Security Law. Apple Daily UK (appledaily.uk) continues as an exile publication, run by former staff now based in Britain and elsewhere.
Q: Is the South China Morning Post trustworthy? The SCMP (scmp.com) is professionally produced and widely read. It has been owned by Alibaba since 2015. Readers should apply the same critical reading they would to any major outlet with a commercially and politically complicated ownership structure.
Q: What is the best independent English source on Hong Kong? Hong Kong Free Press (hongkongfp.com) — non-profit, crowdfunded, and the last genuinely independent English-language outlet regularly covering Hong Kong affairs.
Q: Which papers does Beijing control directly? Ta Kung Pao and Wen Wei Po are both owned by the Central Government Liaison Office. They are, effectively, state media.
Q: What happened to Stand News and Citizen News? Stand News was raided by police in December 2021. Citizen News self-dissolved in January 2022. Both were among Hong Kong's last independent digital outlets.
Q: Where can diaspora Hongkongers get news? Apple Daily UK (appledaily.uk), Hong Kong Free Press, and Sing Tao Daily (singtao.com) all serve overseas readers, though with very different editorial positions.
Q: How bad is the press freedom situation? Hong Kong ranked 18th globally in 2002 on the RSF Press Freedom Index. By 2025 it had fallen to 140th — the steepest recorded decline for any territory in the index's history.