STUDENT journalists handed out censored copies of their university newspaper to protest at the paper's seizure by the student's union.

Members of the team from the University of Sussex newspaper The Badger were on the Falmer Campus yesterday issuing copies of the paper.

Announcing the handout on their Facebook page, they said they "still want our editorial freedom".

Editor in chief Paul Millar was suspended over the article which dealt with a former student taking legal action against the university.

Copies of this academic year's first edition of the paper were seized by the University of Sussex Students' Union after they said it "had not been signed of".

Students took to social media to share the story of the paper's seizure and a petition was set up in support of The Badger.

Daniel Green, acting editor of The Badger, said they have found "common ground" with the union over "certain issues" and they hoped to resolve the problem.

He said: "It is important to note that the suspension of our editor is not a punishment, rather it is a normal procedure when an investigation is underway. I have been informed that the union is trying to resolve this situation as soon as possible, and may conclude within the next few days."

The University of Sussex Students' Union bankrolls the newspaper and each issue has to be given union go-ahead by a representative before it goes to print.

A spokeswoman for the union said: "This process had not been followed for the most recent issue. The Badger was asked not to distribute the paper until it had been signed off in the correct way."

She added: "We have received advice that supports our concerns that content in the most recent issue is potentially defamatory, concerns raised with The Badger last week. Any legal action could be costly and could threaten the future of the union. The topic of the article is not of concern, however we believe the way it has been covered leaves us open to legal challenge.

"We have a responsibility to protect the union and its student members which is why we didn’t want to publish an article that we believe puts us at risk of legal action.

"We are working with the Badger team to gather information and legal opinions on this.

"We’re keen to work with the Badger team to enable them to get back to publishing."