Commentary Targets Anonymous Apple Daily Columnist
Bastillepost · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A Bastille Post opinion piece published on September 4 focused on an anonymous writer identified only by the pen name “Madcap Kin,” portraying him as a former Apple Daily columnist who allegedly promoted the launch of an English digital edition before the Hong Kong national security law came into force. The article further alleged that the writer later relocated to Taiwan and continued using online platforms and other media outlets to criticize the Hong Kong government and national security-related measures
Key Points
- The commentary said a prosecution witness in the Jimmy Lai case had testified that “Madcap Kin” urged Apple Daily to launch English digital news before the national security law took effect
- It said Jimmy Lai then sought publicity help from Hong Kong Watch founder Benedict Rogers and Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China co-founder Luke de Pulford for that English platform
- Bastille Post alleged Apple Daily later carried articles by those overseas figures and turned the English digital edition into a platform for anti-China international advocacy
- The piece said the columnist left for Taiwan in the months before the national security law took effect and later ran a Facebook page called “Madcap Kin Nineteen Angles.”
- The article also claimed the writer had used the pseudonyms “Madcap Kin” since 2014 at Apple Daily and “Hamster-kun” on blogs, and had appeared in 2017 on an RTHK programme as a guest host
Why It Matters
The article adds to public messaging around the Jimmy Lai case by linking media strategy, overseas advocacy and later commentary under one narrative centered on national security. For Hong Kong readers, it also shows how pro-establishment commentary is scrutinizing unnamed writers’ past media roles and present overseas activism