The publisher of The Wall Street Journal was convicted by a Hong Kong court on Sept. 10 of illegally trying to stop one of its reporters from becoming head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) in 2024.
The case centered on Selina Cheng’s bid to lead a journalists’ union that has faced increasing pressure as Hong Kong authorities tightened controls on the media after Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in 2020.
Principal Magistrate David Cheung found Dow Jones Publishing Co. (Asia) Inc. guilty of deliberately preventing or deterring Cheng from exercising her legal right to become an officer of a registered trade union.
The court found that Dow Jones required Cheng to obtain its permission before running for HKJA chair, even though the company would have denied the request, and told her that she would not remain employed if she took the position.
Cheung said the only reasonable inference from requiring Cheng to obtain the company’s consent was that it was intended to prevent her from exercising her trade union rights.
Dow Jones said it disagreed with the ruling and was evaluating its next steps.
Journalists’ Union Under Pressure
The HKJA is a registered trade union for journalists in Hong Kong that also advocates for press freedom.
The dispute arose after years of tightening controls on journalism in the city.
Journalists and media executives have been prosecuted under national security and sedition laws, while pro-democracy outlets Apple Daily and Stand News ceased operations. Hong Kong authorities enacted another security law affecting journalists under Article 23 of the Basic Law in March 2024.
During the HKJA’s 2024 leadership election, Hong Kong Security Secretary Chris Tang criticized the association and questioned its legitimacy. Several people elected to its executive committee later withdrew, including BBC journalist Danny Vincent.
In September 2024, the association said dozens of journalists, their relatives, and associates had been targeted in a harassment campaign. It said journalists from 13 media outlets and two journalism education institutions were affected, and that some people had been pressured or threatened to give up professional or trade union positions.
The HKJA in May 2025 also criticized tax investigations involving media outlets and journalists, saying they imposed significant financial and administrative burdens. Hong Kong tax authorities have denied targeting taxpayers based on their industry or background.
Reporter Brought Criminal Case Herself
Cheng was working for the WSJ and covering China’s automobile and energy industries when she ran for HKJA chair in June 2024.
She said senior editors asked her to withdraw from the election and resign from the association’s executive committee.
Cheng refused and was elected chair on June 22, 2024. The WSJ dismissed her on July 17, 2024.
Cheng alleged that her dismissal was connected to her trade union activities, while Dow Jones said her position had been eliminated as part of a restructuring.
Cheng subsequently complained to Hong Kong’s Labour Department and sought action under Section 21B of the Employment Ordinance, which protects employees from being prevented or deterred from joining or holding office in a registered trade union.
The Labour Department did not bring a prosecution, and Cheng ultimately initiated a private criminal prosecution against Dow Jones herself.
Cheng said after Thursday’s verdict that she would have preferred the government to prosecute the case because most workers would not have the resources to pursue such proceedings themselves.
“If it costs millions of dollars just to assert one’s basic right, that right is, in effect, no longer guaranteed,” Cheng said.
Cheng called on the Labour Department to more actively enforce legal protections for trade union participation.
Recorded Call Played at Trial
A recorded telephone conversation between Cheng and her direct supervisor, Asia editor Deborah Ball, became part of the evidence in the case.
The court admitted the recording and a transcript after Dow Jones challenged their admissibility.
During proceedings in March, Cheung ruled that there was sufficient evidence for Dow Jones to be required to answer the charges.
A recording played during the trial captured Ball telling Cheng shortly before the HKJA election that taking the chairmanship would be incompatible with her WSJ position.
Cheng had also said publicly after her dismissal in 2024 that a senior editor told her that WSJ employees should not be seen advocating for press freedom in places such as Hong Kong.
Thursday’s ruling found Dow Jones criminally liable for trying to prevent or deter Cheng from becoming a trade union officer.
Dow Jones Cleared Over Her Firing
The court reached a different conclusion on whether Dow Jones illegally dismissed Cheng because she exercised her union rights.
Rachael Brockman, a Dow Jones human resources executive, testified in March that the company had decided to shift its Asian headquarters from Hong Kong to Singapore and cut staff, including Cheng’s position.
The defense also argued that Cheng’s supervisors did not have authority to make final employment decisions for the company.
Cheung said the court could not exclude beyond a reasonable doubt the possibility that Cheng was dismissed because of restructuring rather than because of her trade union activities.
Dow Jones was acquitted on that charge.
Hong Kong’s Employment Ordinance makes it a criminal offense for an employer to prevent or deter an employee from exercising protected trade union rights, including becoming an officer of a registered union.
Dow Jones pleaded not guilty to both charges.
Cheung adjourned mitigation and sentencing while the parties arrange a hearing date. Dow Jones said after the ruling that it was considering its next steps.
Ye Zeyu and Lin Yishan contributed to this report.
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