As we get ready to celebrate our freedoms and the birth of our nation this weekend, the freedom of the press was taken away from the people of Hong Kong. The Apple Daily newspaper was their largest pro-democracy paper. But last week, the Chinese government shut it down. Apple Daily executives were also arrested and charged with colluding with foreign forces to endanger national security. Of course, the charges were trumped up simply because the newspaper simply spoke the truth about an oppressive Chinese government. One reader said, “Thank you for risking your life, risking arrest over the past two years, to report the truth for Hongkongers.” The lesson here is that freedom of the press is integral to individual freedom and the ability of citizens to hold their government accountable.