(NEW YORK, NY)– The Wall Street Journal’s decision to terminate journalist Selina Cheng’s position shortly after she was elected to head the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) risks sending a troubling signal, PEN America warned today.
On July 17, journalist Selina Cheng reported that she had been fired from the Wall Street Journal. Cheng has alleged that the reason she was given for her firing—restructuring—is pretextual and that she was instead fired for refusing to withdraw from taking a leadership position with the HKJA, a Hong Kong-based trade union and watchdog whose work includes a yearly report on press freedom in the city.
In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), Cheng reported that three weeks ago, her supervisor had directed her to withdraw from running for chairperson of the HKJA, and to resign from its board, explaining that “employees of the Journal should not be seen as advocating for press freedom in a place like Hong Kong” and that such activity would be “incompatible with my job.” Cheng did not withdraw and has since been elected as HKJA Chair.
A spokesman for Dow Jones, the publisher of The Journal, said in response to a press inquiry that it did not comment on individual personnel matters and that the newspaper “has been and continues to be a fierce and vocal advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong and around the world.”
“Media outlets that depend upon press freedom to carry out their work are essential standard bearers in defense of the role of journalists worldwide. Any appearance that a reporter might be discouraged from or disciplined for supporting press freedom research and documentation is deeply concerning,” said James Tager, Director of Research at PEN America. “In the past few years alone, Hong Kong and Beijing authorities have orchestrated a historic rollback of press freedoms and other civil and political rights in Hong Kong, which has long been a vital hub for coverage of Asia. The timing of the Wall Street Journal’s decision and the reported comments from an editor risk creating the impression that an essential Western media organization may be acquiescing in this retreat. Media organizations must forcefully refute the notion that press freedom is a contested norm and avoid actions that risk appearing to reinforce government repression.”
Following the passage of a new national security law in 2020, numerous human rights groups—including PEN America—have sounded a now-constant drumbeat of alarm over the rollback of rights in Hong Kong in 2020, with authorities undertaking politically-motivated arrests and prosecutions, a wave of book bans, and new efforts to police broad areas of Hong Kongers’ civic life that the government deems political. Press freedom has been a prime target of this rollback, with government officials targeting press outlets known to be critical of Beijing.
According to PEN America’s 2023 Freedom to Write Index, China is the world’s leading jailer of writers and public intellectuals for the fifth consecutive year.
In May, at its annual Literary Gala, PEN America honored Wall Street Journal publisher Almar Latour, recognizing him for leading efforts to secure the release of imprisoned Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich from Russia, where he has just been sentenced to 16 years on politically-motivated charges related to his journalism.