Striking journalists at a Chinese newspaper are returning to work following a censorship protest, with "most" going unpunished, according to local reports.

Southern Weekly staff went on strike earlier this week after a New Year editorial calling for guaranteed constitutional rights was changed by censors to praise the country’s Communist Party.

This was the first time in more than 20 years that an open strike had been staged by editorial staff at a “major” newspaper, according to the South China Morning Post.