Leading UK newspaper The Guardian has terminated its contract with conservative American columnist Joshua Trevino for failing to disclose his links with an agency that did media work for the Malaysian government.

In a press statement last Friday, the daily said this was in keeping with its editorial code.

"Under our guidelines, the relationship between Joshua and the agency should have been disclosed before the piece was published in order to give full clarity to our readers," said Janine Gibson, editor-in-chief of The Guardian US .

NONE Trevino, who was hired for The Guardian US earlier this month, was a consultant with FBC Media - an agency hired by the Malaysian government to spruce up its image internationally.

According to the daily, Trevino had, under FBC Media, run a website called ‘Malaysia Matters’.

The daily and columnist were said to have “mutually agreed” to part ways, although Trevino denies any unethical conduct.

"I vigorously affirm that nothing unethical was done and I have been open with The Guardian in this matter. Nevertheless, The Guardian's guidelines are necessarily broad, and I agree that they must be respected as such," Trevino said in the joint statement.

Protest letter

Academicians, authors and pro-Palestinian activists had written a protest letter to the daily last week, expressing dismay over the hiring of the pro-Israel columnist.

“We are writing to express our shock and dismay at the addition to The Guardian’s US commentary team of a man who has openly called for the killing of people on humanitarian missions to Palestine, people who have included the Pulitzer-prize-winning author Alice Walker,” the letter reads.

NONE Trevino had in 2011 caused a stir when he wrote on Twitter that most Americans are “cool” if the Israeli forces chose to shoot any Americans on board a flotilla sending aid to occupied Gaza.

Anti-Taib Mahmud website Sarawak Report had last year exposed that Trevino had written articles against PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim in several US mainstream newspapers, without disclosing his ties to FBC Media.

Sarawak Report's

expose on FBC Media had also led to UK public broadcaster BBC to issue a public apology for unknowingly airing documentaries paid for by the Malaysian government.