HONG KONG, Sept 10 — A Hong Kong court found Dow Jones guilty on Thursday of trying to deter a reporter from taking a union role, but acquitted the publisher on a charge that it fired her because of it.

Selina Cheng, who was made redundant from the Wall Street Journal in July 2024, had accused the newspaper’s publisher Dow Jones of unlawfully terminating her employment over her role chairing the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association (HKJA), and of trying to prevent her from standing for a union position.

The court found the company guilty on Thursday of trying to prevent Cheng’s right to run for the union chairmanship.

However, the judge sided with Dow Jones’ argument that she was made redundant because of corporate restructuring, and not due to her role as HKJA chair.

The right to take part in a trade union is protected by Hong Kong’s labour laws. An employer found guilty on “prevent or deter” charges could be fined up to HK$100,000 (RM51,820).

“If reporters’ employment rights are not sufficiently safeguarded, or when their rights are violated and not enforced in law, then we can no longer work safely as reporters,” Cheng told reporters outside the court after the ruling.

The judge said the company’s requirement that Cheng seek prior permission to take a union role was an “unjustified deterrent” of her rights.

“Employers have no right to be consulted on whether an employee can exercise their basic rights, just like how one wouldn’t ask their boss if they can attend church or try for a baby,” she said.

A Dow Jones spokesperson told AFP that they “respectfully disagree with the ruling, and are evaluating our next steps”, while adding that they were “deeply respectful” of Hong Kong’s labour laws.

Cheng launched a private prosecution in 2025 for illegal termination, after filing a complaint with the Labour Department that did not result in a prosecution.

Founded in 1968, the HKJA is Hong Kong’s longest-established journalists’ organisation and one of the last remaining groups advocating for media rights in the city.

Media freedom in the financial hub has come under strain since Beijing imposed a wide-ranging national security law in 2020, according to international rankings and HKJA surveys.

Hong Kong was once known for its many freewheeling and independent news outlets, but many have disbanded since Beijing imposed a national security law after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019. — AFP