The arrest of five Apple Daily senior executives has generated quite different responses in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the US.

Among local people, well-known lawyers such as Lawrence Ma Yan Kwok, Athena Kung Ching-yee and over a dozen of their colleagues said that "press freedom" should not be an excuse of violating the national security law; Parties such as the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions both issued statements to support the police in strict law enforcement; Some groups tired with Apple Daily's rumors and lies even celebrated the arrests in front of its office building.

On the other side of the Pacific, the Department of State stated it was "deeply concerned", "strongly condemned" the arrest of the five, and "called for their immediate release".

How could that be so different? How could a media organization both be spat upon by its neighborhood and praised by politicians 13,000 kilometers away?

The answer lies in Apple's own behavior. For long, Apple Daily has been notorious for the rumors it spreads and the violence it incites. Long before the riots, it had been making absurd rumors about entertainment stars that some of them blamed it while some took it to court; Actress Zhang Ziyi won the case against Apple Daily for spreading rumors about her, and the latter apologized.

During the riots in 2019, the tabloid suddenly turned political by turning violence into something "heroic" and turning young students into cannon fodder for riot organizers; It played a very negative role in ruining the local people's lives. When the Hong Kong residents suffered from blocked roads, Molotov cocktails flying from windows, expecting them to hold a positive attitude toward the violence inciter was impossible.

The situation is totally different for US politicians. Staying on the other side of the Pacific, they are safe from the violence incited by Apple Daily; While Hong Kong residents suffered, US politicians could just sit in their chairs and utter such lofty words as "democracy" and "freedom".

It's just like a person who wrecks his own neighborhood gets applause by someone who views his violence as a game. But US politicians should not dream of using Apple Daily as a tool forever. In October 2020, some claims about Hunter Biden were spread by sources later found to be associated with Apple Daily.

He that feeds a mad dog for it to bite others will ultimately be bitten by it, too.

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