Factbox: Stand News, Hong Kong’s most prominent remaining pro-democracy publication

HONG KONG, Dec 29 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Hong Kong national security officers raided the premises of pro-democracy online media outlet Stand News on Wednesday and arrested six people, including senior executives, for “conspiracy to publish seditious publications”.

The raid further raises concerns about freedom of speech and that of the media in the former British colony, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise that a wide range of individual rights would be protected. Read more

Below are the key facts about Stand News:

* Founded in 2014 as a non-profit organization, Stand News is Hong Kong’s most prominent pro-democracy publication after a national security investigation led to the closure of the popular Apple tabloid earlier this year Daily of imprisoned tycoon Jimmy Lai.

* The mission statement published by Stand News reads: “Based in Hong Kong, Stand News Editorial is independent and strives to protect Hong Kong’s core values ​​of democracy, human rights man, the rule of law and justice.” It operates under a protocol that emphasizes editorial independence from financial groups, political parties and organizations, and investors.

* It publishes a wide range of political, social and cultural stories on its website. Earlier this year, he produced an investigative piece into the July 2019 attacks by suspected triad gangsters on pro-democracy activists at a train station in the suburb of Yuen Long – an event that exacerbated months of sometimes violent anti-government protests across the city.

His former reporter Gwyneth Ho was assaulted overnight as she live-streamed the attacks on Stand’s website. Ho later announced her intention to stand in the legislative elections for the pro-democracy camp and was arrested earlier this year along with 46 other activists for “conspiracy to commit subversion”. Read more

* Stand News was the only Hong Kong media outlet to work with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to produce reports on the Pandora Papers in October 2021 – a trove of 12 million leaked documents revealing hidden wealth and tax structures of some of the world’s richest and most powerful people.

*Stand News is funded by commercial advertising, donors and public subscribers, but no information is available on its financial status or number of subscribers. He has 1,720,481 followers and 1,276,407 likes on Facebook.

He said in June he would stop accepting donations from readers and had removed comments from the platform to protect supporters, authors and editorial staff, adding that “crimes of expression” had happened to Hong Kong.

The June announcement said senior lawyer and former Democratic lawmaker Margaret Ng, pop singer Denise Ho and four others have resigned from its board, along with two founding directors, Tony Tsoi and the former editor. Chung Pui-kuen, remaining.

* Its deputy editor, Ronson Chan, is also the head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association.

Reporting Sara Cheng, Edmond Ng and Hong Kong bureau; written by Greg Torode; Editing by Michael Perry

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