Hong Kong court convicts Wall Street Journal publisher of deterring reporter from taking union role

A Hong Kong court on Thursday convicted the publisher of The Wall Street Journal of deterring its reporter from taking up a trade union role, in a case that raised concerns about press freedom in the city.

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court on Thursday convicted the publisher of The Wall Street Journal of deterring its reporter from taking up a trade union role, in a case that raised concerns about press freedom in the city. The court acquitted Dow Jones Publishing Co. (Asia) Inc. of the charge of dismissal over the union role.

Former WSJ reporter Selina Cheng, also chairperson of the trade union Hong Kong Journalists Association, launched a private prosecution against Dow Jones Publishing Co. (Asia) Inc. after losing her job in July 2024.

Hong Kong, a Chinese territory once considered a bastion of press freedom in Asia, has seen its media landscape change drastically in recent years, including the forced closure of news outlets and the prosecution of newsroom leaders.

Principal Magistrate David Cheung convicted the defendant of the first charge but said the defense had raised sufficient reasonable doubt for the second charge.

Cheng earlier said her supervisor told her that her participation in the union election was problematic and that the supervisor needed to discuss the issue with the Journal management in New York and Dow Jones’ in-house lawyers. Cheng said she was told that her union role would be incompatible with her employment.