Journalists on the Northern Ireland edition of the Sunday World have received complaints via the PCC from men they believe to be members of the paramilitary Loyalist Volunteer Force.
Andrew King and Neil Hyde have both lodged complaints with the PCC, via lawyers, against the paper.
Deputy news editor John Cassidy said Hyde has complained about being described as an LVF drug dealer – although he has admitted he has convictions for possesion of drugs.
He said King has complained about being described as a member of the illegal LVF – despite the fact that he was the piper at the funeral of LVF leader Billy Wright in 1997.
Sunday World journalist Martin O’Hagan was murdered six years ago this week by members of the LVF after writing a series of articles exposing their gangster activities.
Sunday World newsagents have previously been subject to intimidation campaigns by Loyalist paramilitaries.
Cassidy said: ‘This seems to be a new attempt by these guys to try and gag us. Another LVF gangster has used the Attorney General to injunct us to stop us writing anything about his impending trial.
‘They don’t like us writing about them and publishing their photos – we write stories about them every week. We are not dealing with decent citizens, we are dealing with criminals who use the cover of a Loyalist paramilitary organisation to carry out their crimes.”
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