A local newspaper is being rebuked by an MP who says she is being ignored.

Newark MP Fiona Jones, a journalist by profession, claims she was even cropped off a photo taken for the paper of an official visit by Deputy PM John Prescott.

That left a picture her office believes would be “an embarrassment to most local journalists”.

She said the Newark Advertiser had refused to cover any of her activities for more than eight months.

And at the turn of the year, she was the only local politician excluded when New Year messages were printed.

She believes people in the town are becoming frustrated at the Advertiser’s lack of information about her activities.

Mrs Jones said: “The public of Newark expect and deserve a newspaper that is honest in what it does and acts in the best interests of its readers.

“Frankly I am appalled by the high handed behaviour of the management of the Advertiser.

“It would appear that their action in the run up to a General Election is clearly designed to damage my standing with the local electorate by giving local people the impression that I am not active in the Constituency and not acting for my constituents. Nothing could be further from the truth.

“It would appear to me that they are using their position as a near press monopoly to influence the result of the election when it comes.

“I accept that they can take any political stance that they wish, but they cannot continue to tell the people of Newark that they are offering balanced fair and accurate news coverage.”

Advertiser editor and director Harry Whitehouse told HoldTheFrontPage: “The editor forms an opinion from day to day about the issues that he believes to be of interest to the public or for which publication is in the public interest.

“If the topic fits one of the above categories, a report is published.”

He preferred not to comment further on the matter but the paper’s website carries an extensive archive on the MP, who has courted controversy since winning her seat as one of the last election’s “Blair babes”.

Since then she has been convicted of making a false election expenses declaration, stripped of her seat, cleared on appeal, and is back in the House of Commons working for her constituents.

She claims the Advertiser is waging a campaign as part of a feud sparked by a row that blew up when the Advertiser printed something about her that was untrue.

Mrs Jones said that when she told the paper she was informed there was no duty to check the facts that were printed.

She said she asked for a retraction, which was refused, then an exchange of solicitors’ letters took place before the retraction was finally printed.