HK court convicts WSJ publisher Dow Jones for deterring reporter from union role

HONG KONG —A Hong Kong court on Thursday convicted Dow Jones, the publisher of the Wall Street Journal, of attempting to block a former reporter from becoming the head of a press union, in a case that raised concerns about press freedom in the territory.The newspaper dismissed Selina Cheng just weeks after she was appointed chair of the Hong Kong Journalist Association (HKJA) in 2024. She was told at the time her termination was officially due to restructuring.Cheng said she was fired by the Wall Street Journal in July 2024 after refusing demands from senior editors at the paper to sever ties with the Hong Kong Journalists Association and to not advocate for press freedom.Principal Magistrate Cheung Chi-wai David ruled that Dow Jones was guilty of wilfully preventing Cheng from exercising her right, under the city’s Trade Unions Ordinance, to become an officer of a registered trade union in June 2024.“The company required her to obtain permission to run for the chairpersonship of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) – permission that would have been denied – and asserted that she would not remain employed if she assumed the role,” the magistrate said.Cheng, speaking to reporters following the court hearing, said her case had brought awareness of union suppression in Hong Kong and that employers had no right to have employees consult them before joining a union.“If reporters’ employment rights are not sufficiently safeguarded or when their rights are violated and not enforced in law, then we can no longer work safely as reporters,” she said.The company was found not guilty of a second charge that alleged it unlawfully terminated Cheng’s employment contract on July 17, 2024, because she had exercised that right.The magistrate said the possibility that the company dismissed Cheng as part of a genuine corporate restructuring could not be ruled out beyond a reasonable doubt, resulting in an acquittal on the second count.The company pleaded not guilty to both charges, which each carry a maximum fine of HK$100,000 ($12,750). Sentencing is expected at a later date.Dow Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment following Thursday’s verdict. The company has previously declined to comment on the specifics of Cheng’s allegations.A spokesperson for Dow Jones told Reuters in 2024 that the company had made some restructuring decisions but would not comment on specific individuals.Cheng, who covered China’s automobile sector for the Journal in Hong Kong, was elected in 2024 to be the HKJA’s new chairperson at a time of mounting pressure by authorities under a national security crackdown that has seen reporters arrested and pro-democracy media outlets closed.The Wall Street Journal announced changes to its Asia operations in 2024, a move that shifted its “centre of gravity in the region from Hong Kong to Singapore,” it said in a statement at the time. “Consequently, some of our colleagues, mostly in Hong Kong, will be leaving us.”Cheng said at the time that she was told by her supervisor that employees of the Journal should not be seen as advocating for press freedom in a place like Hong Kong given a potential conflict of interest.