One UK newspaper group has drawn the ire of journalists and the general public after announcing they would charge students £120 (€162) to publish an article.

In an letter sent to colleges teaching journalism, NewsQuest, the UK's third largest publisher of local newspapers, called it “an exciting and unique chance to experience working for a local paper.”

The Guardian reports that the company, which is owned by US media giant Gannett, says the college will be required to pay a £100 "registration fee," with the student providing the rest.

"[Students will] work as journalists for an online newspaper, writing one article per month for a period of eight months... [which will be] uploaded on to our local online paper, which covers the whole of Greater London,” the letter reads.

Michelle Stanistreet, secretary general of the National Union of Journalists, who received numerous complaints about the letter, responded yesterday:

“While Newsquest is sacking professional staff on its titles, it is charging journalist students for writing articles for them.

"The unpaid intern has become the scourge of the media profession - now Newsquest is asking for journalist students to actually pay for a byline.

"The company’s cynicism beggars belief and preys on young people desperate to get a break in a competitive industry."

NewsQuest defended themselves against public backlash, saying the scheme has been running for several years at a secondary level with much success.