A regional daily removed an online article after a campaign group complained about the story to the press watchdog.

The Belfast News Letter took the action after Rostrevor Action Respecting the Environment went to the Independent Press Standards Organisation over a story which reported the group had lost its legal challenge against the building of a development site.

It had reported the group “fears construction work and an increase in traffic will put the forest’s ancient oak trees at risk”, but complaining under Clause 1 of the Editors’ Code of Practice, the group said ti did not claim at any point that it was concerned about the development solely because of this.

It said that there were many reasons why they were opposed to the development, and this statement gave a misleading impression of their views.

The group contacted the News Letter at the time of publication but this was not acknowledged, and IPSO therefore began an investigation.

During IPSO’s investigation, the News Letter offered to remove the online article as a gesture of goodwill, resolving the complaint to the group’s satisfaction.

The full resolution statement can be read here.