Real-time updates｜On the 36th day of the trial of Jimmy Lai’s case, Chen Peimin completed the defense’s cross-examination and the prosecution began re-examination
Next Media founder Jimmy Lai and three companies related to “Apple Daily” were charged with “conspiracy to collude with foreign forces” and other crimes. The case began on Friday (1st) at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court (Provisional High Court) for the 36th day During the trial, the second prosecution witness, Chen Peimin, the former vice president of Apple, testified on the 15th day.
Chen Peimin agreed under cross-examination by the defense that different newspapers have different reporting angles. For example, “Apple” was more critical and free and open from 2019 to 2020, while “Wen Wei Po” and “Ta Kung Pao” were more pro-China. This is a common phenomenon and there is nothing wrong with it. at. Senior barrister Peng Yaohong, who represented Jimmy Lai, completed the cross-examination. Barrister Wang Guohao, who represented the three companies of Apple Daily, did not ask any questions. The prosecution also completed its re-examination on the same day. It is understood that the next witness is the former chief writer Yang Qingqi.
Thursday’s report:
Trial day 35 of Jimmy Lai case｜The defense said the lunch box meeting mainly discussed business affairs Chen Pei-min: News angles were also discussed
15:48 adjournment
15:30 Chen Peimin completed her testimony
The prosecution then asked about the meeting minutes sent by Chen in October 2020, citing one of them as looking for talents from “Stand News”. Chen pointed out that what he was referring to were the talents of the art department. The prosecution pointed out that another item focused on mentioning “Headline News”, as well as Zeng Zhihao, Wang Xi and others. Chen explained in court that at that time, Lai planned to produce “TV news” on the online version, with “TV anchors, that is, to put the TV news on our website.” However, Lai “didn’t want it to be so traditional, and I didn’t want it to be like the 6:30 TV station.” News, 7 o’clock news, so they wanted to add a segment similar to the “Headline News” style…the style of “Radio Television Hong Kong” and invite people to make comments, such as these candidates.” Chen added that she once expressed at the lunch box meeting, “I want to do serious news reporting, but adding these links, I feel it is not very appropriate. However, Li Sheng finally concluded that there are such links, and he said it would be lively Yeah.”
Judge Li Yunteng asked, so the concerns and reservations raised by Chen at that time were rejected? Chen confirmed that the project was not actually related to the physical newspaper she was responsible for anyway, and confirmed that the project was eventually implemented. The prosecution asked, Chen earlier described Li as strong. Is this one of the situations? Chen described it as “this is an example.”
The prosecution stated that it had completed its questioning. Judge Du Libing said to Chen, “You have completed your testimony.” Chen nodded and left without looking at Li Zhiying and her husband Zhong Peiquan who was sitting in the gallery.
The judge was concerned about the progress of the trial. The prosecution stated that it would make good use of court time and expected that the examination of the next witness would take seven days. It is understood that the next witness is the former chief writer Yang Qingqi.
15:00 Chen confirms that she wrote the “Lunch Box Meeting” record in Zhang Jianhong’s absence
The prosecution continued to show the message sent by Chen on September 18, 2019, which mentioned “the truth about 831 that has been of most concern to the public recently”, “Fujian Gang’s bottom line”, “considerations of upgrading bravery”, etc. Chen confirmed. The prosecution asked again, what was the “hundred days of adverse power that can be collected by readers” that she mentioned? Chen pointed out that it was the special issue “Freedom Summer”.
The prosecution again quoted the message Chen sent on May 15, 2020, “summarizing today’s opinions and matters that need follow-up.” The prosecution asked Chen why she was responsible for writing the record at that time? Chen explained that Zhang Jianhong was unable to attend the lunch box meeting at that time.
14:32 Chen confirmed that Lai Hui requested to review and follow up on the “lunch box meeting” matter
The prosecution began to ask questions around Slack, Apple’s work platform. The prosecution showed screenshots of Slack, including “Hong Kong Apple Newspaper Dialogue” and “Hong Kong Apple Paper Manager.” Chen confirmed under questioning that the conversations were all related to the lunch box meeting. The prosecution asked again, apart from this, did Chen participate in other lunch box meetings? Chen said, “I don’t remember any other participating lunch boxes.”
The prosecution again quoted the meeting minutes sent by Zhang Jianhong on Slack on January 3, 2019 as “Today’s Highlights and Follow-up”, and Chen replied to Zhang “Thank you, I will follow up”. The prosecution asked, what would Chen follow up at that time? Chen said that he would follow up on key issues related to newspaper content, such as “topics should be relevant, popular, and as close to readers’ needs as possible, or layout design competitions.”
The prosecution cited that Li sent a message the next day saying, “Pei Min, please conduct a post-mortem review and follow-up executive meeting based on Jian Hong’s above summary. Thank you.” The prosecution asked, what did Lai mean when he said he wanted to “review”? Chen explained that the matters, suggestions and instructions discussed earlier will be reviewed to see if they have been implemented.
The prosecution then showed the message sent by Lai on June 18, 2019, asking about the issue of turning the newspaper into a magazine, and then Lin Wenzhong provided opinions. The prosecution asked, is the content of Lai’s message the theme of the subsequent “lunch box meeting”, and will the attendees provide opinions before the meeting starts? Chen confirmed.
12:58 Lunch adjournment
12:30 The prosecution asks again whether Lai told his colleagues to “hold on”
The prosecution continued to show the conversation between Zhang Jianhong and Chen after Li was remanded, in which Zhang pointed out that “the boss was listed as evidence in supplements, Twitter live, Twitter posts, and foreign media interviews.” The prosecution asked whether the supplement was a column targeting Li? Chen confirmed. When asked, Chen added that Twitter live should be Li’s content on Twitter and should be video content.
The prosecution continued to quote that the defense once asked whether Lai said “hold on”, and Chen replied at that time, “That word is not used here.” The prosecution continued to show that Zhang sent a message to Chen, mentioning, “I asked him what he wanted to say to his colleagues and readers: 1. Don’t worry about me. 2. For me, it’s good fortune. I have the opportunity to settle down and read scary books. 3. In troubled times.” , We still have to move forward.” Chen responded, “Received, he is very brave, and his religious beliefs also help.” Judge Li Yunteng interrupted and pointed out that whether Li said “hold on” was hearsay evidence in the message, and the prosecution said it would touch on it in the closing argument.
The prosecution continued to question the report on June 18, 2021 “Chen Pei Min chose to stay at the disaster scene with her husband: She is calm, strong and collected”. The article mentioned that “Although I have worked with Jimmy Lai for many years, it does not affect the news judgment. The headlines that day focused on the senior Martin Lee, the most senior lawyer among lawyers, was convicted for the first time.” The prosecution quoted that the defense had cross-examined about “news judgment”, and Chen replied at that time that the context of the article was about the incident in which Martin Lee was convicted.
continue reading
Chen Jin explained in court that it was news about illegal assembly because “at that time, Li Sheng was strictly speaking one of the convicted persons. Even if there was an editor’s statement, did Li Sheng realize the point? So I agree with him. Other colleagues feel that because Martin Lee was convicted for the first time, the focus is on Martin Lee and it is important to talk about this matter.”
12:15 Prosecution: What did Lai mean when he said “come up with a strategy to deal with it” after the National Security Law was passed?
Chen: It means you should be careful when using words.
The prosecution continued to ask questions about the information after the National Security Law came into effect. The prosecution quoted a message that Li sent to Chen on July 1, 2020, mentioning that “I was shocked after seeing the details of the National Security Law… We must first think of a strategy to deal with it, and we cannot be reckless.” The prosecution asked, what Li was referring to at that time What does “Think of a strategy to deal with it, don’t be reckless” mean? Chen recalled that at that time, Li “just finished speaking in such a general way”, because Zhang Jianhong also gave a reminder later, as mentioned in his earlier testimony, “Be careful when reporting some sensitive words and topics. I understand that Mr. Zhang Jianhong was careful. Something.”
The prosecution asked again, what was the “strategy to deal with” mentioned in the message to be dealt with? Chen responded that he did not “carefully think about what he was dealing with” at the time, because Li Zai’s message stated that “Jian Hong already had a plan.” “So I just thought about it at the time. Zhang Sheng would explain it in detail with us, without going into detail about Li.” What are the specific strategies we are talking about here?”
The prosecution quoted that the defense once asked Chen whether he had taken any action to avoid using certain words at that time. And Zhang Jianhong once discussed the issue of sensitive words with Chen? Chen Jun confirmed.
12:07 Chen confirms that Lebanese pan-democratic supporters pay attention to relevant news
The prosecution continued to ask questions about Chen and Lai’s messages. Among them, Lai sent a message to Chen on May 6, 2018, “Pei Min, for example, can we find a retired police officer or former ICAC official to write some insight into today’s headlines? Just a thought.Thanks . Jimmy”. The prosecution pointed out that Chen once testified that Lai had expressed opinions on published reports before 2019. Is the above message one of them? Chen confirmed.
When asked, Chen pointed out that the report mentioned in the message was about the arrest of then Legislative Council member Hui Chi-fung, and Chen confirmed that Hui was a pan-democrat. The prosecution quoted that Chen once confessed that Li would pay attention to some news. The prosecution asked Chen, whether Li would pay attention to this news? Chen confirmed, explaining that “because Li Sheng is a supporter of pan-democracy.”
The prosecution further cited a message between Chen and Lam Boon-tung on August 1, 2019, in which Chen sent a message saying, “I have already said hello to the president. The front page of the newspaper will be opened on Monday, and there will be a paragraph explaining that we support the strike. But I can’t stop because of my social role.” The prosecution asked, who does “we” refer to? Chen explained referring to “Apple”, adding that at the time many colleagues in the newspaper knew that Lai supported the strike. “Some colleagues asked, some middle-level colleagues or some front-line colleagues, whether they could exercise their right to strike. ”. As a manager, Chen felt that in his role as a news organization, “We could not participate in the strike or publish a newspaper at that time, because everyone in the company was so stubborn about the issue, so we finally decided like this. deal with.”
The prosecution asked again, who proposed “opening the skylight” on the front page of that day? Chen said that after discussions with the management at the time, they decided to use this method “not only to explain that we cannot participate in the strike, but also to express our attitude.”
11:22 adjournment
11:00 Chen pointed out that during the anti-amendment period, emergencies often necessitated revision.
She mainly checks the layout and rarely reads the text
The prosecution pointed out that during cross-examination, the defense quoted a front-page report on September 1, 2019, “MTR massacre led to Yuen Long terror attack 2.0, Athlon assaulted citizens indiscriminately.” Chan confirmed under cross-examination by the defense that he believed at that time The title is appropriate. The prosecution cited messages from Lin Wenzong and Chen in the early morning of that day, in which Chen stated that “Prince Prince may have to change the version.” The prosecution asked, did Chen see the draft content of the relevant report at that time? Chen said that she had read the title and photos, but the content of the article had not yet been “resolved” at that time, and she rarely read the content, because after the reporters on the scene wrote the article, they would hand it over to the interview director, who would then check the information and read the content. arts. If Lin Wenzong deems it inappropriate after review, he will notify reporters and editors. Therefore, Chen will not read the text himself, but will review the entire “layout”.
Chen added that she usually leaves the company at 8 p.m., but during the anti-amendment period in 2019, some news that required page changes still occurred after 8 p.m., and emergencies that occurred at night at that time were sometimes worthy of front page coverage, so will be communicated in the above manner.
Chen explained that the revision she mentioned in her message was based on her reading news reports at home and discovering new situations on the scene. “They were so busy in the newspaper office that they didn’t know what was going on. I was so pressed for time to go.” After a certain time, there will be no need to revise the version.” So in the early hours of the morning, I asked Lin Wenzong if he needed to add new content.
The prosecution asked, when she subsequently read the physical version of the newspaper, did she think the report was not inappropriate? Chen said there were none at that time.
10:21 Prosecution: Will Lebanon still advocate peaceful demonstrations after 2019?
Chen: I feel like Lai understands the “non-peaceful” tactics
Assistant Prosecutor for the Prosecution Cheung Cheuk-kin began to re-examine, saying that during cross-examination, Chan had confirmed that Lai advocated peaceful demonstrations before 2019. The prosecution asked again, what about after 2019? Chen described that he felt that Li “would adopt an understanding attitude” towards “non-peaceful” demonstration methods. Chen added that for example, during the attack on the Legislative Council on July 1, according to the instructions provided by Lai, “it would be understood that he did not want the movement to disappear or stop, so he (Lai) did not think that the attack on the Legislative Council was a peaceful demonstration.” , will ask us to interview more of their (protesters) voices, and wait until the public understands and understands what they want to do.” Chen Xu pointed out that there was a slogan among the demonstrators at that time, “There is no distinction between peace and courage, peace and courage,” ” Li Sheng also agrees with this statement because of his support for the movement.”
The prosecution again cited the “Apple” editorial charter, in which Article 13 mentions the need to “adhere to the principle of editorial separation.” This provision falls under the “Editorial Staff Conduct” section, Chen confirmed. The prosecution asked, when Zhang Jianhong wrote the charter, what was the purpose of writing the charter? Chen explained that his impression was that Zhang mentioned that because the parent company was a listed company, the “corporate auditing (auditing department)” suggested that they write it. The prosecution continued to point out that the charter came into effect on April 1, 2019. Was the effective date related to the fiscal year? Chen said he couldn’t remember why it took effect on that day.
Judge Li Yunteng asked that Article 13 mentioned “the separation of editorial work” and Article 5 mentioned “news reporting should adhere to the principles of truthfulness, fairness, objectivity and independence”. Are the two articles related? Chen explained that Article 5 would be “broader” because Article 5 includes freedom from political, commercial, religious and other interests, while Article 13 talks about commercial interests, which is one of the factors in Article 15. Li Yunteng asked again, from a reporting perspective, can different newspapers have different political stances? Chen believes that yes, they should discuss the political system they believe in in editorials, and the news reports mentioned in Article 5, “This emphasizes that news reports are based on the truth, so news reports are different from commentaries.” Chen added, Suppose someone submits an article to a comment board, it is obviously the author’s statement of position and opinion, and “the news report is based on facts.”
Li Yunteng asked, does “Apple” have a mechanism to ensure the independence of executive editing and production? Chen said that it depends on colleagues’ “own awareness.”
10:15 The defense completes cross-examination
The defense continued to ask questions about the angle of Apple’s reporting. The defense pointed out that it is very common for different newspapers and media to have different reporting angles? Chen agrees. The defense cited local newspapers as examples, saying that between 2019 and 2020, Apple Daily was more critical, free and open than other newspapers? Chen said, “You can say that.” The defense continued to point out that “Ming Pao” or “Economic Daily” are more conservative and pro-government? Chen responded, “I don’t want to take the same route as other media.” The defense continued, then Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao are more pro-China? Chen described it as “I have observed that everything is different.” The defense asked, is there anything wrong with newspapers reporting from different angles? Chen said, “You can say that.”
Senior barrister Pang Yaohong, who represented Jimmy Lai, completed the cross-examination. Barrister Wang Guohao, who represented the three companies of Apple Daily, did not ask questions. The prosecution opened a re-examination.
10:03 The defense pointed out that “Next Weekly” reported that he was “betrayed” by Li after the sale.
President Huang Lipshang was not punished for this. Chen: I don’t know.
The defense continued to ask questions about the editing and editing of Apple Daily. The defense mentioned that the group sold “Next Magazine” in 2017, and “Next Magazine” published an unflattering photograph of Jimmy Lai’s head on the cover on July 20, 2017? Chen said he was not sure what report the defense was referring to.
The defense then showed the cover of the relevant magazine, which was titled “The Inside Story of Selling Next Weekly” and included Lai’s profile picture. The defense pointed out that does this mean that Lai betrayed the “Next Weekly” he founded? Chen responded that it was not clear whether the person who formulated the topic at the time had what the defense meant. Judge Li Yunteng asked, can “selling out” mean betrayal? Chen agrees. The defense continued to point out that the then president of Next Weekly was Huang Lipshang. She was not punished for publishing this article? Chen pointed out that he was not clear about the internal affairs of “Next Weekly”, but he knew that Huang Lipshang worked in “Next Weekly”.
10:03 Court starts
10:00 Jimmy Lai enters the court
Jimmy Lai appeared in court and waved to his family.
Case number: HCCC51/2022
Related reports:
2024-03-01 08:41:10
#Realtime #updates #Chen #Peimin #completed #testimony #36th #day #trial #Jimmy #Lais #case
