About 100 journalists from the Beijing News have walked off the job to protest the firing of their editor.

An excerpt from the BBC story:

The highly unusual move follows the ousting of editor-in-chief Yang Bin and two senior editors, as Communist Party officials moved to rein in the paper.

The paper appeared on Friday, but many stories were taken from the Xinhua news agency rather than its own journalists.

Analysts say the row highlights a growing struggle over controlling news.

Papers like the Beijing News have been publishing stories to attract readers and advertising revenues, leading to disputes with Communist Party censors, who have traditionally maintained an iron grip over all media.

After a recent easing of government control, several high-profile incidents this year suggest the Party is reversing that trend.

There was no mention of the walkout in China's newspapers, but word of it spread rapidly via internet blogs and bulletin boards, which Communist officials are less able to control.

Beijing News journalists told Western news agencies via phone that most staff were unhappy about Yang Bin's removal, which was described officially as a reassignment.