LIFE AS AN independent journalist in Hong Kong, long hard, is becoming impossible. On December 29th Stand News, the territory’s leading pro-democracy news outlet, was forced to shut after hundreds of police raided its office, froze its assets and arrested seven people. The current and former editors were charged with conspiracy to publish seditious content and denied bail. Fearing for their reporters’ safety, two other news sites, Citizen News and Mad Dog Daily, halted operations on January 4th.Listen to this storyYour browser does not support the element.Enjoy more audio and podcasts on iOS or Android.After the enforced closure in Hong Kong last June of Apple Daily newspaper, Stand and Citizen were the two most popular Chinese-language, pro-democracy outlets. Both rose to prominence in the protest movement in 2019, and were known for their popular live-streams and comprehensive coverage. A Stand reporter, Gwyneth Ho, who was attacked while covering the protests, entered politics and is now in jail under a national-security law that China imposed in 2020. The chi …
