Chung Pui-kuen (, born 1969) is a Hong Kong journalist. A former

chief editor An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's Editing, editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is hel ...

Stand News ''Stand News'' ( zh, t=立場新聞) was a free non-profit online news website based in Hong Kong from 2014 to 2021. Founded in December 2014, it was the successor of ''House News''. It primarily focused on social and Politics of Hong Kong, po ...

, a defunct Hong Kong online media outlet, Chung was convicted of sedition in 2024, the first since the city was handed over to China in 1997.

Career

Chung read politics and public administration at the

Chinese University of Hong Kong The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is a public university, public research university in Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong. Established in 1963 as a federation of three university college, collegesChung Chi College, New Asia Coll ...

. He was also part of the student union leadership and edited the school newspaper. After graduated in 1991, he joined Confederation of Trade Unions, the newly founded labour group, as an executive. Chung became a journalist in 1995, working in

Ming Pao ''Ming Pao'' () is a Chinese-language newspaper published by Media Chinese International in Hong Kong. In the 1990s, ''Ming Pao'' established four overseas branches in North America; each provides independent reporting on local news and coll ...

and later

Hong Kong Economic Times The ''Hong Kong Economic Times'' (abbreviated as the ''HKET'') is a financial daily newspaper in Hong Kong. It was founded by Lawrence S P Fung ( zh, t=馮紹波; chairman), Perry Mak (managing director), Arthur Shek Kang-chuen (; executive dir ...

as a financial reporter. In 2012 Chung entered

House News ''House News'' () was a Hong Kong news website, content aggregator, and blog founded by Simon Lau, Tony Tsoi, Leung Man-tao, Simon Lau and Greg Sung, which featured columnists and various news sources. The site offered news, blogs, and origin ...

, a

pro-democracy Democratization, or democratisation, is the structural government transition from an authoritarian government to a more democratic political regime, including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. Whether and to what ...

online media outlet, as the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The editor-in-chief heads all departments of the organization and is held accoun ...

until it shut down two years later. When

, successor of House News, was established around half a year later in late 2014, Chung continued as the inaugural chief editor. He was also once a member of the board of directors. Announcing the launch of Stand News, Chung wrote that the outlet would stand up for values such as democracy and human rights, hence the name, and vowed to speak up for the powerless. During his nearly seven years in office, Stand News saw a surge in popularity and creditability, especially for its coverage of Hong Kong's democracy protests in 2019. Opinion polls conducted by the Chinese University in 2016 and 2019 placed Stand News as the most credible online media.

Trial

After

Apple Daily ''Apple Daily'' ( zh, t=蘋果日報, j=ping4 gwo2 jat6 bou3) was a Chinese-language newspaper published in Hong Kong from 1995 to 2021. Founded by Jimmy Lai and part of Next Media, ''Apple Daily'' was known for its sensational headlines, ...

, another opposition-friendly media, was raided by the national security police and subsequently forced to close down in June 2021, Stand News was under increasing pressure. Chung resigned as the chief editor on 6 November 2021, citing his family. Less than two months later, Chung and other top managers of Stand News were also

arrested An arrest is the act of apprehending and taking a person into custody (legal protection or control), usually because the person has been suspected of or observed committing a crime. After being taken into custody, the person can be Interroga ...

by the national security police, on suspicion of publishing seditious articles inciting hatred against Hong Kong and Chinese governments. Chung and Patrick Lam, who became interim chief editor following his resignation, were soon charged, and jailed in custody for nearly a year. The pair was bailed out by court in December 2022. During his trial for sedition, lasting nearly 60 despite scheduled for 20 days, Chung was described as the defiant face of Hong Kong's media. On the witness stand, Chung defended Stand News as a platform for diverse viewpoints and a "manifestation of free speech". He added the Stand News staff did not believe they did anything wrong and that their work would be prosecuted. Chung and Lam, along with Best Pencil (Hong Kong) Limited, the parent company of Stand News, were found guilty in August 2024, making them the first journalists to be convicted for sedition in Hong Kong since three senior staff of ''

Ta Kung Pao ''Ta Kung Pao'' (; formerly ''L'Impartial'' in Latin-based languages) is a Hong Kong-based, state-owned Chinese-language newspaper. Founded in Tianjin in 1902, the paper is controlled by the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government i ...

'', the Chinese state-affiliated paper, were found guilty in 1952.

Personal life

Chung's wife is Chan Pui-man, a senior editor at the Apple Daily, who was arrested in June 2021 for collusion with foreign forces in a separate security trial. Chan was later prosecuted and pleaded guilty, currently remanded in custody.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chung, Pui-kuen Hong Kong journalists 1969 births Political prisoners held by Hong Kong Living people