{"id":2521606,"date":"2025-12-16T06:44:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T11:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jimmy-lais-conviction-is-the-penalty-for-doing-real-journalism\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T06:45:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T11:45:49","slug":"jimmy-lais-conviction-is-the-penalty-for-doing-real-journalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jimmy-lais-conviction-is-the-penalty-for-doing-real-journalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy Lai&#8217;s Conviction Is The Penalty For Doing Real Journalism"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjimmy-lais-conviction-is-the-penalty-for-doing-real-journalism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2521606&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the recent conviction of Hong Kong <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secy-pompeo-calls-for-release-of-chinese-citizen-journalist\/\" title=\"Secy. Pompeo calls for release of Chinese citizen journalist\">pro-democracy activist<\/a> and media tycoon Jimmy Lai by the Chinese-backed government under charges of collusion with foreign forces and sedition, based on Hong Kong&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >national security laws designed<\/a> to suppress dissent. Lai, known for his Christian faith and leadership of the pro-democracy outlet Apple Daily, was accused of encouraging foreign sanctions against Hong kong and China, though he claims to have ceased such calls after the security law was enacted.Facing potential life imprisonment, Lai&#8217;s case exemplifies the Chinese Communist party&#8217;s crackdown on free speech and democratic activism.<\/p>\n<p>The article contrasts Lai&#8217;s brave fight for press freedom with what it describes as the hypocrisy of American mainstream media, which it accuses of functioning as propaganda arms for left-wing politics and failing to genuinely defend press freedom. It criticizes U.S. media outlets for punishing dissenting journalism while awarding themselves for controversial reporting, highlighting the stark difference between Lai&#8217;s principled stand and the self-serving behavior of much of the American press.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the piece praises Lai&#8217;s steadfast commitment to truth and liberty as somthing that American media could onyl aspire to, lamenting the erosion of genuine press freedom both in Hong Kong and the United States.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>America&rsquo;s propaganda media wouldn&rsquo;t know what a real &ldquo;attack&rdquo; on press freedom would look like if it hit them in the face. But the same can&rsquo;t be said for Hong Kong billionaire Jimmy Lai.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday, the pro-democracy activist and media tycoon was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/12\/15\/hong-kong-court-finds-pro-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-guilty-of-collusion-with-foreign-forces.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">convicted<\/a> by the city&rsquo;s Chinese-backed government on charges of alleged collusion with foreign powers and sedition. Lai was charged under Hong Kong&rsquo;s national security law, which was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/03\/19\/china\/hong-kong-second-national-security-law-passed-intl-hnk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enacted<\/a> several years ago to further criminalize dissent throughout the semi-autonomous region now under the grip of the Chinese Communist Party and its forces. The sedition charge was &ldquo;under a separate, colonial-era law,&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2025\/12\/15\/nx-s1-5642545\/hong-kong-pro-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-sentenced\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">as noted by<\/a> NPR. <\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/12\/15\/hong-kong-court-finds-pro-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-guilty-of-collusion-with-foreign-forces.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CNBC<\/a>, the Hong Kong court overseeing Lai&rsquo;s trial &mdash; which first began in December 2023 &mdash; claimed that Lai &ldquo;harbored his resentment and hatred of the PRC [People&rsquo;s Republic of China] for many of his adult years.&rdquo; It also contended that the 78-year-old <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.md\/kvBzm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Christian<\/a> and his pro-democracy outlet, <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/apple-daily\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Apple Daily<\/a>, sought a foreign power &ldquo;&lsquo;to impose sanctions or blockade, or engage in other hostile activities&rsquo; against Hong Kong or China.&rdquo; (Notably, &ldquo;Lai did not deny that he&rsquo;d called for sanctions earlier, but insisted that he stopped&rdquo; once the security law was enacted, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/world\/what-to-know-about-the-trial-of-jimmy-lai-former-hong-kong-media-mogul\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PBS<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>Lai is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2025\/12\/15\/hong-kong-court-finds-pro-democracy-activist-jimmy-lai-guilty-of-collusion-with-foreign-forces.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">expected<\/a> to be sentenced on Jan. 12, 2026, and is <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2025\/12\/14\/china\/jimmy-lai-verdict-hong-kong-national-security-intl-hnk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">facing<\/a> potential life in prison. <\/p>\n<p><strong>[READ:[READ:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/16\/how-jimmy-lai-became-communist-chinas-good-troublemaker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Jimmy Lai Became Communist China&rsquo;s Good &lsquo;Troublemaker&rsquo;<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It goes without saying that Lai&rsquo;s incarceration has little to do with the <a href=\"https:\/\/chinaselectcommittee.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/moolenaar-ipac-jimmy-lai-verdict-makes-a-mockery-of-the-rule-of-law#:~:text=Jimmy%20Lai%2C%20the%20founder%20and,U.S.%20co%2Dchair%20of%20IPAC.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mischaracterized<\/a> allegations against him and everything to do with his role in promoting freedom and democracy throughout Hong Kong. As Federalist Senior Contributor Helen Raleigh previously <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/01\/16\/how-jimmy-lai-became-communist-chinas-good-troublemaker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a> in these pages, his media publications (Apple Daily and Next magazine) were instrumental in &ldquo;fostering political and civic engagement of the city&rsquo;s seven million residents and helping mobilize hundreds of thousands, and eventually millions to take part in the city&rsquo;s various pro-democracy protests between 2003 and 2019.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In Lai, the CCP found an adversary unwilling to bend his knee to the threat of communist tyranny. And for that, he lost everything &mdash; his freedom, his fortune, and now potentially, his life.<\/p>\n<p>Lai&rsquo;s conviction and impending sentencing further illustrate the CCP&rsquo;s war against God-given freedoms and those who embrace them. But more to the point, they put to shame dress-up journalists in our own country, who dare to smear mere criticisms of their shoddy work from the Republicans and everyday Americans they routinely slander as &ldquo;threats&rdquo; and &ldquo;violence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In actuality, they know nothing of the sort. <\/p>\n<p>For all their supposed concerns about such non-existent &ldquo;attacks on the press,&rdquo; this &ldquo;democracy dies in darkness&rdquo; crowd couldn&rsquo;t be bothered to care when the Biden administration and foreign government-linked &ldquo;disinformation&rdquo; groups were trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/10\/08\/davis-inside-the-government-conspiracy-to-shut-down-the-federalist-for-wrongthink\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">censor and shut down<\/a> non-legacy outlets like The Federalist for doing <em>actual<\/em> journalism. In fact, some of them (like <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/12\/04\/democrats-would-like-to-suppress-free-speech-the-way-britain-does\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NBC News<\/a>) even joined in on the censorship campaign.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, these self-professed truth-tellers pat themselves on the back and <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/05\/07\/the-pulitzer-prize-remains-a-crown-for-left-wing-propagandists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hand each other awards<\/a> for parroting debunked propaganda on behalf of bad government actors. <\/p>\n<p>In 2018, for example, The New York Times and Washington Post were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/civil-society\/commentary\/will-new-york-times-washington-post-return-pulitzer-misleading-russia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">awarded<\/a> Pulitzers for their &ldquo;reporting&rdquo; on the baseless <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/russia-collusion-hoax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Russia collusion hoax<\/a>. Yes, you read that correctly. The very outlets that partook in one of the worst scandals in American history &mdash; which sought to undermine Donald Trump&rsquo;s 2016 election and sabotage his presidency &mdash; were heralded as heroes of the profession.<\/p>\n<p>America&rsquo;s press have devolved into a conglomeration of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/morris-new-york-times-disgrace-fake-paper-of-record-deceived-its-audience-about-laptop-from-hell\/\" title=\"Morris: New York Times Disgrace: Fake &#039;Paper of Record&#039; Deceived Its Audience About Laptop from Hell\">left-wing activist outlets<\/a> that serve one purpose only: to act as the propaganda arm for the Democrat Party and its allies &mdash; facts, truth, and press freedom be damned.<\/p>\n<p>The desperate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/politics\/trumps-moves-against-media-outlets-mirror-authoritarian-approaches-to-silencing-dissent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attempts<\/a> to deceive people into thinking that there is some conservative-led war to squash &ldquo;freedom of the press&rdquo; in America are merely a bid to avoid accountability for this egregious conduct. As demonstrated above, these talking heads only care about &ldquo;press freedom&rdquo; when it can be weaponized to destroy their political opponents and run interference for their friends.<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, Jimmy Lai saw things differently.<\/p>\n<p>For a man who escaped communist China, Lai came to view a free and open press as an absolute necessity in maintaining liberty in the semi-autonomous city he called home. He believed, as it seems, that in order for Hong Kong to thrive, it would require a media willing to ethically hold politicians and government officials accountable &mdash; not act as their lapdogs. <\/p>\n<p>The courage demonstrated by Lai is something America&rsquo;s propaganda media could only dream of possessing. For them to act as if their endured criticisms is anything comparable to the actual lawfare being waged against Lai is nothing short of embarrassing. <\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>America&#8217;s media clueless on true press attacks; Jimmy Lai convicted<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2521607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jimmy-Lai.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[53480,48598,62206,44205,68883],"class_list":["post-2521606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-conviction-2","tag-jimmy-lai","tag-media-rights","tag-press-freedom","tag-real-journalism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Jimmy-Lai.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2521606"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2521610,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2521606\/revisions\/2521610"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2521607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2521606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2521606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2521606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}