SHANGHAI —
Media tycoon Jimmy Lai, an outspoken supporter of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests, was arrested Monday along with his sons and several colleagues at the Apple Daily newspaper. It was a shocking assertion of China’s power over the city’s long-cherished media freedoms — and a chilling turning point for its independent journalists.
In a dramatic raid, more than 100 police officers swooped into the Apple Daily newsroom, cordoned off cubicles and rifled through papers on desks. Reporters were ordered to stand against a wall. “Stop filming!” an officer barked at one who continued to livestream the raid as it…