The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday fired Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) chairperson Selina Cheng after she refused a senior editor’s request to withdraw from the chair election and to quit the HKJA board entirely, said Cheng in a statement.
In her statement, Cheng stated that her supervisor directed her to withdraw from the election and asked her to quit the board, because of a senior editor’s comment that “employees of the [Wall Street Journal] should not be seen as advocating for press freedom in a place like Hong Kong even though they can in Western countries, where it is already established.” When Cheng refused to comply with her supervisor’s directions, she was “immediately told it would be incompatible with my job.”
The official reason for her termination is corporate restructuring. A spokesperson for Dow Jones, the parent company of the Wall Street Journal, speaking to the Hong Kong Free Press confirmed that “we made some personnel changes [on Wednesday],” but refused to comment on specific individuals affected. The spokesperson reiterated that 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.”
Cheng also stated that a few journalists on the HKJA board also resigned under employers’ pressure and the layoffs that happened in May “for the same reason.”
Cheng acknowledged the potential conflict of interest arising from continuing to report on Hong Kong’s political developments and having its employees advocating for press freedom. However, when compared to the Wall Street Journal’s efforts to support and advocate for the release of jailed reporter Evan Gershkovich, Cheng expressed her surprise at the actions of senior editors in preventing Cheng “from advocating for freedoms the [Wall Street Journal’s] reporters rely on to work, in a place where journalists and their rights are under threat.”
In a concluding word, Cheng emphasized that reporters, editors and publishers are also obligated to protect the right for reporters to work without fear, in addition to legal protection.
The HKJA expressed their disappointment at Cheng’s termination in their own statement. The HKJA also “calls on all media organizations operating in Greater China to support the work of press groups” 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.”
Article 35 of the Hong Kong Basic Law constitutionally entrenches the right to the freedom of speech and the press, and Article 16 of the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance (Cap. 383) enumerates the right to the freedom of opinion and expression. The government previously reiterated that press freedoms are constitutionally protected and there are a total of 213 media outlets registered in Hong Kong to exercise their press freedom as long as they do not violate the law. On the other hand, the HKJA and the Press Freedom Index expressed concern over press freedom in Hong Kong, with the latter quantifying a downward trend in Hong Kong’s press freedom.
