He described the editorial approach as “playing with the edge” – a term borrowed from table tennis – by reporting in a “grey area” deemed to be just within the ambit of the law or which authorities might find barely acceptable.
Jimmy Lai axed pro-Hong Kong government views after he became ‘radical’: witness
Jimmy Lai axed pro-Hong Kong government views after he became ‘radical’: witness
“[We] no longer openly called for sanctions through my writings or selection of forum page [articles], but by commenting on sanctions and analysing a punitive measure or its seriousness, [we could] express [our] original stance of supporting sanctions,” the defendant turned prosecution witness told West Kowloon Court.
Lai, 76, is being tried on two conspiracy charges of collusion with foreign forces and a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications.
Yeung said the three purported analytical pieces in fact demonstrated the authors’ support for the United States’ initiative.
Hong Kong’s Lai turned ‘radical’ after US-China trade war in 2018, court hears
Hong Kong’s Lai turned ‘radical’ after US-China trade war in 2018, court hears
Mr Justice Alex Lee Wan-tang, one of three judges presiding over the hearing, suggested Apple Daily was wandering in the twilight zone. The witness agreed.
Yeung said the critique was an example of “playing with the edge” as the author implicitly expressed his support for the then president’s move.
Cheung took issue with the webpage’s design but did not explain why his side found it offensive.
Au subsequently became a columnist and provided at least four allegedly seditious articles to the tabloid between July 2020 and May the following year, prosecutors said.
Asked to explain Lai’s approach at Apple Daily, Yeung described the tycoon as a “generous but cruel” boss who was happy to distribute his wealth to his employees, but would “burn his people out” and not hesitate to fire those not up to their jobs.
He likened Lai’s employment strategy to “shaking the tree”.
“Be it the management or mid-level supervisors, if they wanted to stay at Apple, they had to listen to their boss and do their work in a proactive manner,” the ex-editorial writer said, adding Lai had no official position in the newsroom.
“I wanted to stay at Apple, so I had to follow his instructions.”
The trial continues on Friday.