The colorful life of former Next Media founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying resembles a plot from a novel. He founded Next Media and Apple Daily, supported democratic movements, and changed the Hong Kong media ecosystem.
Some people might feel that Lai is a big bad wolf in the media industry; they might think that he would do whatever it takes to grab the first exclusive story and expose someone’s private activities. Others might feel that he turned professional news into an entertainment circus.
But there is also a group of people who believe that Lai’s loyalty, beliefs, and fight for freedom and democracy was the selling point of his newspaper, and eventually has cost him his freedom….