Wall Street Journal Dismisses Journalist Over Press Freedom Involvement

Selina Cheng, recently elected head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, was terminated from her role at the Wall Street Journal after refusing to sever ties with HKJA. The termination occurred amid a growing crackdown on media freedoms in Hong Kong, raising concerns over the future of independent journalism.

Selina Cheng, the newly elected head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), was dismissed from her position at the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. The termination came after Cheng refused demands from senior editors at the paper to sever her ties with HKJA and cease advocating for media freedoms.

Cheng, who covered China's automobile sector for the Journal's Hong Kong bureau, was told by her UK supervisor to withdraw from the HKJA election. After declining the directive, Cheng's employment was terminated by Gordon Fairclough, the WSJ's world coverage chief, who cited restructuring as the reason. The Wall Street Journal did not provide specific comments on personnel changes.

The move has sparked backlash from HKJA, which criticized the Journal for hastening the decline of independent journalism space in Hong Kong. Despite her job loss, Cheng vows to continue her fight for press freedom, asserting that the responsibility of safeguarding journalism is more important than her job or salary.

(With inputs from agencies.)