Hong Kong court convicts Dow Jones over union-role deterrence
The publisher was acquitted of unlawfully dismissing journalist Selina Cheng, with the judge accepting its corporate restructuring explanation.
A Hong Kong court has convicted Dow Jones of trying to prevent journalist Selina Cheng from standing for chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, while acquitting the publisher of unlawfully dismissing her over the role.
The judge found Dow Jones’s requirement that Cheng obtain prior permission before taking a union position was an “unjustified deterrent” to her rights. Hong Kong labour law protects the right to participate in a trade union.
Cheng was dismissed by the Wall Street Journal in July 2024. She later launched a private prosecution after a complaint to the Labour Department did not result in prosecution.
The court accepted Dow Jones’s argument that Cheng’s dismissal resulted from corporate restructuring, rather than her role as chair of the journalists’ association. The ruling therefore did not establish that the dismissal was lawful in all respects.
Dow Jones said it disagreed with the ruling and was evaluating its next steps. Cheng said weakly protected or unenforced employment rights could prevent journalists from working safely.
The case has renewed scrutiny of media freedom in Hong Kong, where independent media and advocacy groups have come under strain since Beijing imposed a national security law in 2020, according to international rankings and Hong Kong Journalists Association surveys. Sentencing is expected later, but its date and any penalty have not been reported.
