Rana Ayyub: A Veteran Journalist Under Siege
November 21, 2024
Two Moments of Sacrifice
November 21, 2024
November 21, 2024 – China –
Selina Cheng, a veteran journalist and recently elected chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), is suing the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) for what she alleges was an unlawful and politically motivated dismissal. Cheng was informed in July 2024 that her role in WSJ’s Hong Kong bureau had been eliminated due to restructuring. However, she contends the real motive was retaliation for her leadership of the HKJA—an organization that has increasingly come under pressure amid Hong Kong’s declining press freedoms.
Cheng alleges that WSJ editors pressured her to resign from her HKJA position shortly after she assumed the role. When she refused, she says she was abruptly dismissed. Her civil claim, filed at the Hong Kong Labour Tribunal, argues that the dismissal violated Hong Kong’s Employment Ordinance, which protects workers from being fired due to trade union activity. She is also pursuing a criminal complaint through the Labour Department, which may lead to a government-led prosecution should the Department of Justice choose to act.
Despite Cheng’s request for reinstatement, WSJ, under Dow Jones, has refused, maintaining that her termination was part of a broader newsroom restructuring. However, press freedom advocates—including the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Women in Journalism, and local civil society groups—have expressed concern that Cheng’s firing sets a dangerous precedent. They argue that penalizing a journalist for union involvement undermines the already fragile state of press autonomy in Hong Kong.
The case has drawn significant attention due to its implications for labor rights, editorial independence, and freedom of association. Cheng remains adamant that her union role was the cause of her dismissal and continues to seek justice through legal channels. A criminal hearing has been scheduled at Eastern Magistrates’ Courts.
Her case encapsulates the deepening tension between journalistic independence and institutional pressures in Hong Kong. As the legal battle unfolds, it will test the robustness of Hong Kong’s legal protections for both labor rights and media freedom, once hallmarks of the city’s democratic promise but now increasingly uncertain in the post-national security law era.
Reference –
Hong Kong press group chief Selina Cheng sues Wall Street Journal over ‘unlawful dismissal’
