Big Ideas Jimmy Lai's fight for press freedom and democracy in Hong Kong
May 12, 2026
Mark Clifford, author and president of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong, outlines Jimmy Lai's rise from factory worker to outspoken media owner. Evan Osnos, New Yorker staff writer, steers questions about press freedom. They explore Lai's founding of Apple Daily, his political funding, why Beijing saw him as a threat, and how Hong Kong’s freedoms unraveled.
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Retail Tactics Fueled Media Ambition
- Jimmy built Giordano by obsessing over speed, cost control and design, using tactics like chartering 747s to cut lead times.
- Those operational innovations made him a retail pioneer and financed later ventures in media.
Tiananmen Sparked His Media Turn
- Tiananmen 1989 transformed Jimmy from a largely apolitical entrepreneur into an activist who started a magazine nine months later.
- He sent tents and money to students and described feeling his mother calling him back to China's fate.
Tabloid Style With Investigative Teeth
- Apple Daily mixed sensational retail-style journalism with serious investigative reporting and economic commentary to maximize reach and influence.
- This hybrid model let Jimmy fund pro-democracy coverage while selling mass-market newspapers.
