WSJ fires Hong Kong Journalists Association Chair Selina Cheng amid controversy

The chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), Selina Cheng, has been dismissed by her employer, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), mere weeks after assuming her position at the embattled union.

Cheng expressed her shock and dismay at having to announce her termination during her first press conference as HKJA chair. “I am appalled that my first press conference as HKJA chair is to announce that I have been fired for taking up this position in a press union,” Cheng stated.

Cheng believes that her termination is directly linked to her new role at the HKJA, which she took up on 22 June.

She revealed that her employer had discouraged her from standing for election as chair of the union, warning that the role would be “incompatible with my employment at the Wall Street Journal.”

Despite these warnings, Cheng was fired on Wednesday, purportedly due to restructuring.

Prior to her dismissal, Cheng reported on China’s automobiles and energy sectors for the WSJ.

In her statement on Wednesday, Cheng highlighted that although the WSJ had laid off several reporters from its Hong Kong bureau in early May, she had been retained because her reporting area was considered one of the biggest stories in Asia. The Guardian has learned that the WSJ plans to relocate Cheng’s role outside of Hong Kong.

Today I was fired from the Wall Street Journal.

This is my statement: pic.twitter.com/9fAwkftybb

— Selina Cheng (@selina_cheng) July 17, 2024

The WSJ has denied any connection between Cheng’s termination and her position at the HKJA.

A spokesperson for Dow Jones, the parent company of WSJ, commented: “While we can confirm that we made some personnel changes today, we don’t comment on specific individuals. The Wall Street Journal has been and continues to be a fierce and vocal advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world.”

The HKJA, one of the last remaining civil society groups in Hong Kong following Beijing’s crackdown on freedoms, expressed its disappointment and outrage over the WSJ’s decision.

“By pressuring employees not to take part in the HKJA, a key advocate for both local and international journalists working in Hong Kong, the WSJ risks hastening the decline of what space for independent journalism remains,” the HKJA stated. They noted that other potential candidates for board positions had also faced pressure from their employers to withdraw.

Below is HKJA's statement: pic.twitter.com/Fhhq7HhLHN

— Selina Cheng (@selina_cheng) July 17, 2024

Cheng shared that her editor had advised WSJ employees against advocating for press freedom in “places like Hong Kong” to avoid conflicts of interest, given the newspaper’s coverage of press freedom issues in the city.

In May, the WSJ published an editorial addressing the global decline of press freedom, specifically highlighting China and Hong Kong as dangerous places for journalists.

Cheng, who was surprised by her treatment, remarked, “I saw what they’ve done to support and campaign for my colleague Evan Gershkovich and I deeply believed that the Journal was supporting media freedoms and the rights of journalists to operate safely.” Gershkovich, a WSJ reporter, is detained in Russia on politically motivated spying charges, according to the WSJ.

American newspaper The Wall Street Journal has terminated Hong Kong-based reporter Selina Cheng weeks she was elected chair of the city’s embattled Hong Kong Journalist Association, which has met with increasing pressure from authorities.

In full: https://t.co/ZiQbd0bwsF pic.twitter.com/MChF5RGFyz

— Hong Kong Free Press HKFP (@hkfp) July 17, 2024

Under Hong Kong’s employment law, workers have the right to be members or officers of a trade union. Cheng is considering legal action against the WSJ, arguing that her dismissal could constitute anti-union discrimination.

While Hong Kong’s basic law guarantees press freedom, the city has seen a sharp decline in this area in recent years.

Between 2019, the year of the pro-democracy protests, and 2023, Hong Kong dropped more than 60 places on the Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.