A newspaper has rejected a political activist’s demand for compensation after covering his decision to remove one of its reporters from his Facebook group.

The Hampstead & Highgate Express dismissed the man’s demand after he complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation about a story reporting he had blocked its stories from appearing in two Muswell Hill community Facebook groups.

The Ham & High revealed how it was “given the boot” from two Facebook groups run by the Labour activist after reporting on a series of controversies linked to the council’s planned regeneration of the former Cranwood care home site in Muswell Hill.

The activist, who was given anonymity by IPSO, claimed in his complaint said the paper had never been a member of the Facebook groups, but accepted a journalist from the title was removed from the group.

Complaining under Clause 1 (Accuracy), Clause 2 (Privacy) and Clause 10 (Clandestine devices and subterfuge) of the Editors’ Code of Practice, he claimed the headline ‘Labour activist blocked critical news stories on Facebook groups’ was inaccurate because it implied he had removed the stories because they were critical of the Labour Party.

Instead, he said he had rejected them because he considered them to be a form of political campaigning by the Liberal Democrats.

Denying any breach of Code, the Ham & High it was reasonable to describe itself as having been given “the boot” from the Facebook group because the journalist was the public face of its recent reporting on Muswell Hill and was blocked from both groups.

The paper added it would consider a letter from him for publication in the letters column as a resolution to the complaint, but the man instead said he would like the story to be taken down fromt he Ham & High’s website and some form of compensation to be given to him.

The Ham & High agreed to remove the story as a gesture of goodwill but rejected his demand for compensation, an offer accepted by the complainant.

IPSO therefore discontinued its investigation and the full resolution statement can be read here.