Cheng, who has worked for the Journal since April 2022 covering China’s energy and automobile sectors, was dismissed on July 17 with immediate effect after her position was eliminated by management, following a previous round of layoffs in May which did not affect her role. Gordon Fairclough, chief editor of the WSJ’s foreign desk, flew from the UK to Hong Kong to deliver the message of her termination, allegedly due to an internal restructuring.
The journalist said her UK-based supervisors had directed her to withdraw from the HKJA elections three weeks prior, after learning of her intention to run as chairperson. She was also instructed to quit the union’s board, despite this position being approved when she was hired.
The veteran journalist was elected as HKJA chairperson on June 22, following her role as honorary secretary and after serving on the union’s executive committee since 2021. The right to become an officer of a union is legally protected in Hong Kong, and HKJA said in a statement that Cheng and the union are consulting lawyers about the potential breach of the city’s Employment Ordinance, which carries a penalty of up to HKD 100,000 (approx. USD 12,800).
At a press conference on July 17, Cheng said, “I am deeply shocked that senior editors at the paper would actively violate their employees’ human rights, by preventing them from advocating for freedoms the Journal’s reporters rely on to work, in a place where journalists and their rights are under threat.”
“It is obvious to me that the fear and unease the press in Hong Kong have been facing for years now has equally affected the Journal’s management, even though they’re far away on different continents,” said Cheng.
The HKJA is one of the few remaining media rights organisations in Hong Kong, since the introduction of Hong Kong’s national security law in June 2020. The union recently has been accused of ‘destabilising’ the city by state-run media outlets. HKJA’s former chair, Ronson Chan, has faced ongoing persecution from local authorities and was sentenced to five days in prison in 2023 for allegedly obstructing police in September 2022, a decision condemned by the IFJ and other press freedom groups.
The HKJA said:“The Hong Kong Journalists Association is disappointed and outraged by the Wall Street Journal’s decision to terminate the employment of HKJA chairperson Selina Cheng, who has worked for the paper since April 2022… The HKJA calls on all media organizations operating in Greater China to support the work of press groups such as the HKJA, FCCHK and FCC China, and to allow their employees to freely advocate for press freedom and better working conditions in solidarity with fellow journalists in Hong Kong and China.”
The IFJ said: “IFJ stands steadfast in solidarity with HKJA chairperson Selina Cheng and condemns her dismissal by the Wall Street Journal. Compelling Cheng to abandon her elected union position only serves to further narrow the space for independent journalism in Hong Kong and gravely undermines the fundamental freedoms of association and the press guaranteed in the city’s constitution. The global media community must do more to support and advocate for the work of Hong Kong’s independent media workers striving to uphold press freedom and improve labour rights.”