Journalists from closed digital media launch portal

The project, wrote the Efe news agency, seeks to fill the void left by the closure of independent media outlets such as Apple Daily and Stand News, which were forced to cease operations following the implementation of the national security law in 2020.

The legislation, imposed by Beijing after a wave of anti-government protests in 2019, restricted press freedom and led to the detention of journalists , as well as the closure of offices of organizations such as Radio Free Asia, due to security concerns, the news agency continues.

The term "white knight" refers to the anonymous benefactor who provided the funds needed to launch Channel We, after more than two months of effort by the team. Although the identity was not revealed, the support was crucial in overcoming the financial difficulties faced by independent media outlets, according to EFE.

Channel C, founded in July 2021 by former employees of Apple Daily—Jimmy Lai's pro-democracy newspaper that was shut down under pressure—suspended its operations in April this year following the arrest of an executive from the parent company for allegedly defrauding a loan program from the government of Hong Kong, a city neighboring Macau.

The video-focused media outlet owes 29 editorial staff members HK$660,000 (about €72,000) in salaries, pension contributions and other expenses, the Hong Kong Free Press news portal reported Friday.

The 2020 National Security Law and the locally drafted National Security Safeguarding Decree punish acts such as treason, insurrection, sabotage, foreign interference, sedition, theft of state secrets, and espionage with penalties up to life imprisonment.

Human rights organizations, the United Nations, and some Western countries criticize these rules for being vague and regressive, while authorities in Hong Kong and China defend the legislation as necessary to combat foreign interference and close "legal loopholes" following the sometimes violent protests of 2019.