Walkout at Oxford student paper

The editorial staff on an Oxford University student newspaper have walked out en masse following a furious row over freedom of the press.

The furore erupted after the paper's drama editor was sacked for giving too much prominence to rave reviews of his own plays.

Despite receiving the backing of the two joint editors of the Oxford Student, the board that runs the paper immediately dismissed him.

When the two editors then decided to run a story about the sacking they too were given the chop, sparking a mass walkout. In a statement the board, made up of student officers on sabbatical from their university courses, said: "The drama editor of the Oxford Student had two of his plays prominently and positively reviewed by the section which he edits.

"The board considered this a clear conflict of interest, which risked the paper looking cliquey and biased."

After the sacking of the drama editor the remaining 25 staff met the board to "codify" their relationship. But when the board refused to allow the row to appear in print the editors disagreed and were dismissed.

"We could not comply with a demand which would have effectively violated the editorial independence which is guaranteed to the newspaper in the student union constitution," read a statement from the newspaper's former editors.

The board described the editors' refusal to spike the story as "an unnecessary and unhelpful barrier to discussions".