A columnist and essayist who wrote for the New York Times Chinese-language website between 2012 and 2014, Dong was arrested in February 2022 and charged with espionage in April 2023. He was branded as "anti-socialist" for an essay he wrote. In November 2024, Dong was sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage charges, following prolonged pre-trial detention. The sentence was upheld in November 2025. He has been recognized globally for his work, including as a 2006-2007 Nieman Fellow, and following his imprisonment, at the 2025 CPJ International Press Freedom Awards and by the National Press Club’s President’s Award.