China moves to expel WSJ journalists, others

China announced on Tuesday that it would expel American journalists working for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, reports Marc Tracy and Edward Wong of The Times.

Tracy and Wong report, “Most of the American reporters for the three news organizations named in the Tuesday announcement have press cards and visas or residence permits that expire this year. The press cards are needed to maintain the visas, and turning them in effectively means the journalists would need to leave the country shortly afterward. Reporters who were recently given a press card and residence permit that do no expire until 2021 can presumably continue to work.

“The announcement does not indicate that any Hong Kong-based newsrooms of the organizations would need to stop operations, even if the journalists expelled from the mainland are not allowed to report there. The Times and The Wall Street Journal both have large newsrooms in Hong Kong that serve as regional editing hubs and that also have reporters. Those reporters do not operate according to the same regulations as those based in the mainland.

“Martin Baron, the executive editor of The Washington Post, condemned the expulsion of U.S. reporters in a statement.”

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