NUJ describes the Wall Street Journal’s sacking of Hong Kong Journalists’ Association chair as “shocking”
Michelle Stanistreet said the newspaper’s action flies in the face of its claim to be a beacon for press freedom.
Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said:
“The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association (HKJA) has faced unrelenting pressure and hostility by the Beijing authorities whilst they’ve battled to continue maintaining a collective voice for journalists and media freedom. Selina Cheng’s dismissal, weeks after taking up her position as HKJA chair, is shocking and flies in the face of the Wall Street Journal’s claim to be a beacon for press freedom. Given the ongoing crackdown on journalists in Hong Kong simply for doing their job, the support and solidarity of the wider global journalistic community is more important than ever.”
Selina Cheng, in a statement put out on X (Twitter), said she had been fired from the Wall Street Journal, saying editors at the newspaper had asked her to withdraw from the election to the press body’s chair and asked her to quit the board. She says she was told the role would be “incompatible” with the job.
Since Beijing's imposition of National Security Law in 2020, journalists in Hong Kong have faced increasing restrictions to press freedom, including imprisonment, and are subjected to harassment and intimidation. Many have had to flee Hong Kong and the NUJ, working with the International Federation of Journalists, has been supporting these journalists.
Selina Cheng was elected as HKJA chairperson on June 22, following her role as honorary secretary and after serving on the union’s executive committee since 2021. The right to become an officer of a union is legally protected in Hong Kong, and HKJA said in a statement that Cheng and the union are consulting lawyers about the potential breach of the city’s Employment Ordinance, which carries a penalty of up to HKD 100,000 (approx. USD 12,800).
At a press conference on July 17, Cheng said,
“I am deeply shocked that senior editors at the paper would actively violate their employees’ human rights, by preventing them from advocating for freedoms the Journal’s reporters rely on to work, in a place where journalists and their rights are under threat.
“It is obvious to me that the fear and unease the press in Hong Kong have been facing for years now has equally affected the Journal’s management, even though they’re far away on different continents."
The HKJA is one of the few remaining media rights organisations in Hong Kong, since the introduction of Hong Kong’s national security law in June 2020. The union recently has been accused of ‘destabilising’ the city by state-run media outlets. HKJA’s former chair, Ronson Chan, has faced ongoing persecution from local authorities and was sentenced to five days in prison in 2023 for allegedly obstructing police in September 2022, a decision condemned by the NUJ, IFJ and other press freedom groups.
The HKJA said it was “outraged" by the WSJ’s decision, saying the newspaper "risks hastening the decline of what space for independent journalism remains".
The IFJ said:
“IFJ stands steadfast in solidarity with HKJA chairperson Selina Cheng and condemns her dismissal by the Wall Street Journal. Compelling Cheng to abandon her elected union position only serves to further narrow the space for independent journalism in Hong Kong and gravely undermines the fundamental freedoms of association and the press guaranteed in the city’s constitution. The global media community must do more to support and advocate for the work of Hong Kong’s independent media workers striving to uphold press freedom and improve labour rights.”
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