Head of journalist group in Hong Kong claims WSJ fired her over press freedom dispute

The head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) said she was fired by the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday after she refused demands from senior editors at the paper to sever ties with the organisation and to not advocate for media freedoms.

Selina Cheng, who worked in the Journal's Hong Kong bureau as a reporter covering China's automobile sector, was elected on June 22 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 liberal media outlets closed.

"My supervisor in the UK directed me to withdraw from the election," Cheng told reporters on Wednesday after walking out of the Journal's Hong Kong bureau.

She said she had refused. Cheng said Gordon Fairclough, the WSJ's world coverage chief, terminated her employment in person in Hong Kong on Wednesday, explaining it was part of a restructuring move. There was no immediate response to an emailed request for comment from Fairclough.

Reuters was not able to establish the reason for Cheng's dismissal.

A spokesperson for Dow Jones, the Journal's parent company, told Reuters it had made some personnel changes and restructuring decisions on Wednesday but would not 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 spokesperson said.

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In May, the Wall Street Journal announced changes to its Asia operations as it seeks to shift "our 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."

"What we will not change is our comitment to producing, agenda-setting journalism out of Asia."

Cheng said 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.

The HKJA said in a statement it was "disappointed and outraged" by the Journal's decision, saying that by pressuring employees not to take part in the HKJA, the newspaper "risks hastening the decline of what space for independent journalism remains".

Cheng said she would continue to head the HKJA.

"The (jobless) situation I am facing is temporary, but I think the responsibility of safeguarding press freedom is longer-term and more important than a job or salary."