The Epoch Times (HK) in a Changing Media Environment

In Hong Kong, where the social and political environment for the media industry is becoming less favorable, volunteer promotion staff who distribute The Epoch Times (HK) publications have often encountered various interference, yet they are persevering. Readers, fans and supporters, and even colleagues in the same field unavoidably worry for their safety, and wonder “What makes them persevere under pressure?” Over the last month, we reached out to several volunteer staff members in The Epoch Times (HK) distributions to find out, here is what they have to say. Visiting Local Police Station to Improve Mutual Understanding Mrs. Lau (pseudonym), a retired teacher in her 80s, is a volunteer member of the distribution department of The Epoch Times (HK). When distributing promotional editions of The Epoch Times on the street, she often encountered police officers who told her “The Epoch Times is not a legal newspaper” or that she may be “violating the National Security Law (NSL)” and could get arrested for a suspected crime of “incitement.” Being a lady with a small physical build but a sonorous voice, she said: “I asked them what clause of the National Security Law I would violate when I am just telling people to do good deeds and abstain from bad ones. The police officers simply went quiet and couldn’t respond.” In the past months, Mrs. Lau had often been surrounded by officers to register her identity card. “I think they have a lot of misunderstandings. I want to clarify to them later, so I took down their badge numbers as well.” Through the “Police-Community Relations Bureau,” Mrs. Lau obtained the contact numbers of those police officers and made several calls. But no one answered. Accompanied by two other volunteer colleagues, Mrs. Lau decided to pay a visit to the local police station. After a two hours wait, they were finally able to meet the senior officer in charge. Mrs. Lau stated the purpose of their visit, introduced The Epoch Times (HK), and explained why she would volunteer her time and energy to do promotional work for The Epoch Times (HK), all for the love of Hong Kong. The senior officer receiving them affirmed that there was nothing illegal about distributing the newspapers. “It’s just that if there were too many people around, someone might complain to you.” He saw Mrs. Lau and others off at the front entrance and repeatedly emphasized, “We should communicate more in the future.” Since then, Mrs. Lau has not experienced further ID card requests from the local police officers. She wrote a letter of appreciation to show her gratitude to the officer in charge who received her at the police station. Intimidation From Pro-Communist Members in the Community Annie (pseudonym), a college student, is a younger volunteer. She told us that one day when she was distributing a promotional edition of The Epoch Times (HK) in the street, a man with a mainland accent approached her and said, “No more distribution here! threatening, “If you don’t leave, I will report [you] to the National Security Bureau.” The man showed Annie his police identity while taking down Annie’s ID card number as well. On another day, a woman came up and took a picture of Annie on a cell phone. The woman posted that picture on social media last month, boasting she had “intimidated an Epoch Times promoter” and threatened that she would send the photo “to the National Security Bureau and the Immigration Department” to report Annie. Annie, however, is not intimidated. She recalled the above incidents with a smile and said calmly, “I hope she can distinguish good and evil and only speak after she learned the facts.” Always Considering Others Ms. Cheung (pseudonym), another elderly lady, is a volunteer who has been distributing The Epoch Times (HK) on the island side for more than ten years. She told us that in the areas she covered, the police also take down ID card details of The Epoch Times (HK) volunteers often, “sometimes twice a day.” Ms. Cheung said the local police officers can easily call her by name. Ms. Cheung recalls during the years under the former Chief Executive C.Y. Leung, local pro-communist groups used to harass The Epoch Times (HK) volunteers from time to time. Facing this harassment, a police officer once said: “I am not taking any side, we are neutral.” Ms. Cheung responded: “Not so, if you don’t side with the good, you are siding with the evil, so you must stand with us.” The officer immediately got it, “I never thought about it (this way) before.” Ms. Cheung told us: “We must remain kind and think for others. We should not blame the (individual) policemen just because their job is to work for the CCP. They are also in a difficult position, and we should be able to put ourselves in their shoes.” Ms. Cheung said that kindness can also change the environment. “A hostile old woman scolded us for many years, but now she has changed and stopped.” She recalled explaining calmly to a person threatening to r

The Epoch Times (HK) in a Changing Media Environment

In Hong Kong, where the social and political environment for the media industry is becoming less favorable, volunteer promotion staff who distribute The Epoch Times (HK) publications have often encountered various interference, yet they are persevering. Readers, fans and supporters, and even colleagues in the same field unavoidably worry for their safety, and wonder “What makes them persevere under pressure?”

Over the last month, we reached out to several volunteer staff members in The Epoch Times (HK) distributions to find out, here is what they have to say.

Visiting Local Police Station to Improve Mutual Understanding

Mrs. Lau (pseudonym), a retired teacher in her 80s, is a volunteer member of the distribution department of The Epoch Times (HK). When distributing promotional editions of The Epoch Times on the street, she often encountered police officers who told her “The Epoch Times is not a legal newspaper” or that she may be “violating the National Security Law (NSL)” and could get arrested for a suspected crime of “incitement.”

Being a lady with a small physical build but a sonorous voice, she said: “I asked them what clause of the National Security Law I would violate when I am just telling people to do good deeds and abstain from bad ones. The police officers simply went quiet and couldn’t respond.”

In the past months, Mrs. Lau had often been surrounded by officers to register her identity card. “I think they have a lot of misunderstandings. I want to clarify to them later, so I took down their badge numbers as well.”

Through the “Police-Community Relations Bureau,” Mrs. Lau obtained the contact numbers of those police officers and made several calls. But no one answered. Accompanied by two other volunteer colleagues, Mrs. Lau decided to pay a visit to the local police station. After a two hours wait, they were finally able to meet the senior officer in charge. Mrs. Lau stated the purpose of their visit, introduced The Epoch Times (HK), and explained why she would volunteer her time and energy to do promotional work for The Epoch Times (HK), all for the love of Hong Kong.

The senior officer receiving them affirmed that there was nothing illegal about distributing the newspapers. “It’s just that if there were too many people around, someone might complain to you.” He saw Mrs. Lau and others off at the front entrance and repeatedly emphasized, “We should communicate more in the future.”

Since then, Mrs. Lau has not experienced further ID card requests from the local police officers. She wrote a letter of appreciation to show her gratitude to the officer in charge who received her at the police station.

Intimidation From Pro-Communist Members in the Community

Annie (pseudonym), a college student, is a younger volunteer. She told us that one day when she was distributing a promotional edition of The Epoch Times (HK) in the street, a man with a mainland accent approached her and said, “No more distribution here! threatening, “If you don’t leave, I will report [you] to the National Security Bureau.” The man showed Annie his police identity while taking down Annie’s ID card number as well.

On another day, a woman came up and took a picture of Annie on a cell phone. The woman posted that picture on social media last month, boasting she had “intimidated an Epoch Times promoter” and threatened that she would send the photo “to the National Security Bureau and the Immigration Department” to report Annie.

Annie, however, is not intimidated. She recalled the above incidents with a smile and said calmly, “I hope she can distinguish good and evil and only speak after she learned the facts.”

Always Considering Others

Ms. Cheung (pseudonym), another elderly lady, is a volunteer who has been distributing The Epoch Times (HK) on the island side for more than ten years. She told us that in the areas she covered, the police also take down ID card details of The Epoch Times (HK) volunteers often, “sometimes twice a day.” Ms. Cheung said the local police officers can easily call her by name.

Ms. Cheung recalls during the years under the former Chief Executive C.Y. Leung, local pro-communist groups used to harass The Epoch Times (HK) volunteers from time to time. Facing this harassment, a police officer once said: “I am not taking any side, we are neutral.” Ms. Cheung responded: “Not so, if you don’t side with the good, you are siding with the evil, so you must stand with us.” The officer immediately got it, “I never thought about it (this way) before.”

Ms. Cheung told us: “We must remain kind and think for others. We should not blame the (individual) policemen just because their job is to work for the CCP. They are also in a difficult position, and we should be able to put ourselves in their shoes.”

Ms. Cheung said that kindness can also change the environment. “A hostile old woman scolded us for many years, but now she has changed and stopped.”

She recalled explaining calmly to a person threatening to report the volunteers to national security: “The Epoch Times is a licensed newspaper in Hong Kong. You can check it out. If not so, how can we promote the paper publicly like this?” “Talking irresponsibly is not good for you.”

Chief Editor: Reporting the Truth, Albeit Under Pressure, Is to Continue Hope

We also talked to Guo Jun, editor-in-chief of The Epoch Times (Chinese edition).

In recent years, as the social environment in Hong Kong deteriorate for the media industry, The Epoch Times (HK) Daily newspaper is still available for sale, and the weekly promotional editions continue to be distributed for free. Although distribution channels have reduced, readers and supporters of The Epoch Times (HK) are still able to subscribe or buy the newspaper from designated newsstands and obtain e-newsletters online.

According to Guo Jun, Hong Kong Epoch Times has always operated legally, with a license issued by the government. “Although we have encountered certain difficulties and felt some pressure, there are many righteous people in Hong Kong, including civil servants and police officers, who recognize and support The Epoch Times (HK).”

The CCP has launched various political campaigns in history, exterminating traditional Chinese culture in the process, distorting history, and often kidnapping the Chinese people with so-called patriotism. The CCP also uses its economic might to achieve political purposes, putting pressure on foreign governments, business consortiums, and overseas media. The CCP’s ultimate goal is the so-called “liberating all of mankind (meaning conquer the whole world with communism).” Guo explained.

She said: “In this unprecedented contest between good and evil, the CCP is trying its best to lower the moral standards of China and the world. However, when the moral standard of the society falls to the brink of total collapse, it is also the time when human beings will be destroyed.”

Guo quoted Falun Gong founder Li Hongzhi’s article “How Humankind Came To Be,” published in January this year (2023), “All of the madness now unfolding in the world was planned as such, for the final phase, by divine beings. Their goal was to test the lives here and see whether they were worthy of salvation, and give them a chance to, in the process, work off their sins and karma while going through difficult things. And all of this was done so that people could be saved and gain deliverance back to heaven.”

She continued to explain, “Though under pressure, therefore, the Epoch Times has been unremittingly reporting the truth, hoping to help people recognize the real CCP so that they can understand the revelations from the divine at this special time and thus be saved in the final days.”

In the end, “the very existence of ‘The Epoch Times’ is the continued hope of people in today’s difficult times,” she said and hopes The Epoch Times continues in this spirit, adhering to its principles. “We believe that we can persevere because we want to help from the most basic, the fundamental conscience. We call on all walks of life to continue to give The Epoch Times (HK) their support.”